Judge blocks oil lease sales LOS ANGELES (AP) - A federal judge blocked the U.S. government from selling 32 oil leases off the Central California coast yesterday after Gov. Ed- mund Brown Jr. and 19 local governments objected to the sales on environmental grounds. "There can be no doubt that a brief delay in the sale of these leases is in the public interest," U.S. District Judge Mariana Pfaelzer said in issuing a temporary injunction. "The delay will cause insignificant monetary injury to the U.S. government or to the potential leaseholders." BUT SHE SAID she will issue her final ruling "before the end of the summer, preferably before July 31" and ordered that all disputed issues be resolved in court by then. "I am fully aware of the energy needs of the coun- try and I have no desire to impede oil exploration and development," she said. At issue are 32 tracts of undersea land covering The Michigan Daily-Thursday, May 28,1981-Page 11 600,000 acres in the Santa Maria Basin north of Santa Barbara. The auction includes a total of 113 tracts, but the suit did not contest 81 of them. Originally there were 34 tracts, but two small ones were com- bined with neighboring sites to create 32 larger trac- ts. AT THE REQUEST of the U.S. Justice Depar- tment, the judge agreed that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management could unseal bids on the disputed tracts even though it could not award the leases. "We feel it would be helpful to see if there are in fact any bids on those tracts," one of several federal lawyers present told the judge. "If there are none, it would not be necessary to proceed." AT THE BLM in Los Angeles, spokesman Mike Fergus said a two-day oil-lease auction that ends today will continue and that leases on the non- disputed tracts will be awarded in the usual fashion. Civil rights groups defend social security WASHINGTON (AP) - Labor, senior citizens, and civil rights groups renewed their attacks yesterday on the Reagan administration's proposed Social Security cuts and defended the current system that allows workers to retire at age62. Douglas Fraser, president of the United Auto Workers, and other mem- bers of the 90-group coalition called "Save Our Security" charged that President Reagan's plan would sharply reduce the protection for all workers and the elderly. FRASER, WHOSE auto workers can retire after 30 years in the industry regardless of age, said at a news con- ference: "I don't see down the road any alteration in the early retirement. I don't think there should be." He cited Social Security figures that show 57 percent of workers choosing early retirement at 62 do so because they are disabled, and 24 percent have lost their jobs. Only a small minority are in good health and leaving steady jobs, he said. Fraser's union has begun placing full- page ads in major newspapers at- tacking Reagan's Social Security plan, which would reduce from 80 percent to 55 percent the benefits a worker could draw at age 62 starting next Jan. 1. FRASER SAID that by 1987, a UAW worker who retired this year at age 56 would get a Social Security check $3004a month less than expected. "It is wrong to break a longstanding commitment of the U.S. government to its citizens. It is wrong to penalize disproportionately those least able to handle reductions in income," he said. "It is wrong to wring tens of billions of dollars out of retirees' benefits so that they may be applied to other parts of the federal budget." Jerry Wurf, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said, "Social Security is a solemn obligation. It is not a gift, it is not compassion." WURF SAID HIS union would like to see the payroll tax abolished and to have all of Social Security paid from general tax revenues. "The well-being of elder Americans is as important as our water or our air," said Wurf. He and former Social Security Com- missioner Robert Ball expressed the fear that in fighting Reagan's proposed cuts, Social Security supporters may be forced to settle for lesser cuts that would still have a bad impact. Bill Hutton of the National Council of Senior Citizens said Social Security is "our first and strongest bulwark again- at poverty.' "None of us are so dumb as to think we can't improve our Social Security system . . . But it takes time, and it takes a scalpel, not a meat-ax." Union screenwriters consider contract LOS ANGELES (AP) - Striking screenwriters considered two contract proposals yesterday - one from major motion picture and television producers, the other from independent producers - that could end their six- week-old walkout. The board of directors of the Writers Guild of America recommended rejec- tion Tuesday of the latest contract offer from major motion picture and television producers. HOWEVER, it asked the guild's 8,500 members to accept a proposed contract with the independent producers. More than two independent producers have already signed the contract and have resumed work on scripts. Among those signing was Johnny Carson Produc- tions,".which enabled-hisaeompany to resume production of NBC's "Tonight Show." The guild members were to cast their ballots at a meeting last night at the Hollywood Palladium. At issue is the payment of fees for pay television and for videocassettes and discs. THE MAJOR producers have offered the writers 1.5 percent of the revenues from made-for-pay-television programs after they have been broad- cast 10 days within a year on all pay TV systems. They also offered them 1.5 percent to be paid after the first 100,000 cassette or disc units are sold. The guild is asking for 4.5 percent af- ter the producers recover certain production costs. Because few shows were ready to start production, the strike has had lit- tle visible impacto fat]programming of the three major networks.