Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer wants the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to join California Attorney General Rob Bonta in standing up to the oil companies and trade associations for deceiving people about the industry’s impact on the climate crisis. Supervisor Lawson-Remer has introduced a policy and resolution backing Attorney General Bonta’s “People of California v. Exxon Mobil Corporation, et al” lawsuit. 

Supervisor Lawson-Remer was joined by Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation, San Diego 350, and Climate Action Campaign on Monday at a press conference in support of the proposal and resolution titled: “Protecting San Diegans from the Impacts of the Big Oil Industry.” Click the following links to read the policy and resolution.

“There are several different factors contributing to climate change, but the oil industry is one of the largest perpetrators,” said Supervisor Lawson-Remer, Vice Chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “We are here today to stand-up to Big Oil. 

“I want our County to support Attorney General Rob Bonta’s efforts to hold the oil industry accountable. Big Oil is harming our beaches, bays, coastlines and communities with its deceptive practices.” 

The Attorney General’s lawsuit seeks to hold the largest fossil fuel companies in the world – Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP and the American Petroleum Institute. The lawsuit outlines how these entities have used “false advertisements” and “greenwashing” practices to deceive the public about the “reality of climate change and the connection between combustion of fossil fuels and climate change and the climate change related harms in California.” 

"From rising sea levels to ravaging wildfires, we have seen the devastating impacts of climate change across our state, including in San Diego County,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “With the Department of Justice’s lawsuit, we are shining a light on oil and gas companies’ decades-long deception regarding the burning of fossil fuels at the expense of our environment. I am deeply grateful to Supervisor Lawson-Remer’s leadership and for supporting our efforts to hold big polluters accountable.” 

Supporting the Attorney General’s legal action is in alignment with the County of San Diego’s Sustainability, Equity, and Community 2024-2029 Strategic Plan Initiatives because the action supports combating climate impacts, reducing health disparities, and protecting the safety of San Diego County communities.

The resolution Supervisor Lawson-Remer is requesting her colleagues supports reads in part:

“...WHEREAS, for decades, the defendants have known about the dangers and repercussions that burning fossil fuels would have, and yet they proceeded to engage in misleading information and advertising campaigns, and protect their profit over people; and

“WHEREAS, the defendants internal research linked fossil fuel use to rising global temperatures and damage to our air, land, and water; and

“WHEREAS, wildfires are wiping out communities, floods are destroying homes, air quality is impacted, and deadly heat waves and record-breaking droughts continue to impact our residents; and

“WHEREAS, billions of dollars have already been spent by the state to recover from damages, and to support mitigation and adaptation measures...”

“SanDiego350, a climate action / climate justice organization, is thrilled that Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer has introduced to the County Board of Supervisors a resolution supporting California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s lawsuit against Big Oil,” said Chris Roberts, Co-Lead for San Diego 350’s Transportation Team. “For decades, Big Oil has made huge profits through the sale of oil and gas products in California. Big Oil was fully aware of the compelling scientific research linking the burning of fossil fuels with greenhouse gas emissions, which causes global warming and the resulting environmental catastrophes caused by climate change. We’ve recently seen a dramatic example of these effects in San Diego, with the horrible flooding that occurred in Barrio Logan in January, leaving >1000 people homeless and >600 buildings with extensive damage. Big Oil needs to be held responsible for their role in promoting the burning of fossil fuels, even though they knew of the damage this would cause in California. We salute Supervisor Lawson-Remer and hope that the Board of Supervisors approves this resolution.” 

Fossil fuels are measured to be the largest contributor to global greenhouse gasses at over 75% and can also be attributed for nearly 90% of carbon emissions according to the United Nations (UN). As greenhouse gas concentrations rise, so too does global surface temperatures which have been shown to cause more severe storms, increase drought and wildfire risk, warm our oceans, cause sea levels to rise, disrupt food supplies, and impact health. California has been hit hard by many of these issues. San Diego County has felt the effects because of historic droughts, flooding, and exacerbated wildfires, as well as increased heat, air pollution, and damage to natural resources.

Click the following links to read the policy and resolution.