I don't know who owns them, but yes, California was a rich oil producing state at one time, and I suppose still is. This field is in the Salinas Valley, but there were huge fields in Los Angeles and the Long Beach area where you can still see these types of pumpers operating now. I have a photo of the Cyclone Racer Roller Coaster in Long Beach from about the 30's where in the background you can see hundreds of oil rigs drilling for the oil. It looks like a huge forest in the distance, stretching all the way to the horizon above the coastal hills.
I have not been close to the ones I photographed, but the pumps in LA are near to the streets and behind cyclone snow fences, and I don't hear them as we drive by, but I suspect they make some sort of mechanical sounds as the beam rocks back and forth, and a big counterweighted wheel spins to make the beam rock. That's a lot of weight in motion. I'm sure the oil industry tries to minimize the noise impact on neighbors - if they can't hear the racket, maybe they won't think about lawsuits for the stench.
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