Are California Oil Companies Complying With the Law? Even Regulators Often Don’t Know.

On a breezy February afternoon at the ragged edge of rapidly gentrifying downtown Los Angeles, hipsters walk toy dogs along Pico Boulevard. Around the corner on 14th Street, an actor strikes poses for a photo shoot against murals of sunflowers, diamonds and inspirational sayings. The aging, yellow brick residential Portsmouth Hotel sits among knockoff watch dealers here, while a block away, a giant construction crane hoists materials skyward for new luxury apartments.