Oil and gas developer Venoco hit a setback in its attempt to drill for offshore oil from a site in Carpinteria.

Carpinteria’s city attorney filed a complaint alleging that a proposed ballot initiative that would step around city and county approval and go straight to state regulators violates state law. The city attorney must approve the language of the initiative before it can go before voters.

The complaint — which was filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court — alleges, among other things, that the proposed ballot initiative violates Carpinteria’s land use plans, gives voters authority designated to the city and is overly vague, according to the documents.

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