south belridge1 (copy)

This is a view of oil production in Kern County's South Belridge Oil Field, one of the most productive in California.

 The Californian / File

Oil permitting hold-ups are being blamed for a projected 25% drop in tax revenue, year over year, from Kern County petroleum properties.

The situation, a shift from the historical pattern of oil property tax revenues rising and falling according to barrel prices, led a local tax group to call for renewed pressure on Sacramento to address a sustained permitting slowdown.