UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported):  December 9, 2010

OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION

(Exact Name of Registrant
as Specified in Its Charter)

(310) 208-8800

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the Registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

o    Written communication pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o    Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o    Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o    Pre-commencements communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02.    Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers

On December 9, 2010, the Board of Directors of Occidental Petroleum Corporation (“Occidental” or the “Company”) increased the size of its Board from 14 to 15 directors in order to elect Ms. Margaret M. Foran, 56, Chief Governance Officer, Vice President and Corporate Secretary of Prudential Financial, Inc. to the Board.  Prior to joining Prudential in 2009, she was Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Sara Lee Corporation; Senior Vice President from 2008-2009, and Associate General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Pfizer Inc. from 1997 until 2008.

The Board has determined that Ms. Foran is independent under the New York Stock Exchange listing standards and Occidental’s Director Independence Standards. There is no arrangement or understanding between Ms. Foran and any other persons pursuant to which Ms. Foran was selected as a director, and there are no related party transactions involving Ms. Foran that are reportable under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K. Pursuant to the Company’s compensation program for non-executive directors, Ms. Foran received a pro rata grant of 2,500 shares of restricted stock to reflect this abbreviated term and will receive the same annual retainer and meeting fees paid to the other non-employee directors. At this time, Ms. Foran has not been appointed to any Board Committees.

A copy of the press release of Occidental with respect to Ms. Foran’s election to the Board is attached as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01     Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d)  Exhibits

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SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

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EXHIBIT INDEX

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Exhibit 99.1

For Immediate Release: December 9, 2010

Margaret M. Foran Elected to Occidental Petroleum Board of Directors

LOS ANGELES, December 9, 2010 — Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) today announced that Margaret M. Foran has been elected to its Board of Directors. Her election brings the current Oxy Board to 15 members, 13 of whom are independent outside directors.

Ms. Foran, 56, is Chief Governance Officer, Vice President and Corporate Secretary of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU). Prior to joining Prudential, she was Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Sara Lee Corporation; Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Pfizer Inc.; and Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at J.P. Morgan & Co.

Ms. Foran is a former Director of The MONY Group Inc. and MONY Life Insurance Company. She served as Co-Chair and a Director of the Council of Institutional Investors (CII) and is the current Co-Chair of the CII International Corporate Governance Committee. She is the former Chair of the American Bar Association Committee on Corporate Governance and presently sits on the ABA’s Business Council. Ms. Foran is the former Chair of the Coordinating Committee of the Business Roundtable Corporate Governance Task Force. Her professional affiliations include the Standing Advisory Group of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and the Economic Club of New York. Ms. Foran holds B.A. (Magna Cum Laude) and J.D. degrees from the University of Notre Dame.

About Oxy

Occidental Petroleum Corporation is an international oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, Middle East/North Africa and Latin America regions. Oxy is the fourth-largest U.S. oil and gas company, based on equity market capitalization. Oxy’s wholly owned subsidiary, OxyChem, manufactures and markets chlor-

alkali products and vinyls.  Occidental is committed to safeguarding the environment,

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protecting the safety and health of employees and neighboring communities and upholding high standards of social responsibility in all of the company’s worldwide operations.

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Contacts: Richard S. Kline (media)

richard_kline@oxy.com

310-443-6249

Chris Stavros (investors)

chris_stavros@oxy.com

212-603-8184

On the web: www.oxy.com

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