Our coastline is one of San Diego’s greatest treasures — essential to our economy, our environment, and our way of life. But right now, it’s facing one of the most serious threats we’ve seen in decades. The federal government has proposed reopening Southern California’s waters to new offshore oil drilling, reversing long-standing protections and putting our communities at real risk. We will not stand for this. We’ve beaten back Big Oil before, and with strong community support, we’ll do it again. Thank you for staying informed and standing with us in this fight.

Go Pound Sand: San Diego Stands United Against New Offshore Drilling

Last week, I joined a packed People’s Hearing in Encinitas, where residents made their voices unmistakably clear: Big Oil is not welcome on our coast. We loudly vowed to fight the Trump Administration over plans to renew offshore oil drilling on the San Diego coast and we have no intention of backing down.

Our environmental partners are mobilized too. Oceana, Surfrider Foundation, Wildcoast, and the California Coastal Protection Network are leading a powerful grassroots coalition grounded in lived experience. 

We remember the devastation of the 1969 Santa Barbara spill and watched tar wash onto our own beaches days after the 2021 Huntington Beach disaster. The damage never stays local — and communities always pay the price.

That’s why I brought forward a County action this week to formally oppose the Trump plan. Approved on a 4-1 vote, this item ensures the County opposes the Trump Administration’s Draft Five-Year Oil and Gas Drilling Plan, supports Congressman Mike Levin’s Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act (H.R. 2862) in our legislative agenda, coordinates with Governor Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Southern California counties to build the regional firewall needed to keep new oil drilling out of our waters.

Instead of focusing on oil drilling, I am fighting every day to expand clean energy sources, which are cheaper and won’t destroy our economy, health, and coastline. Californians deserve affordable energy and a clean and healthy environment — we refuse to be the dumping ground for big oil looking to make windfall profits at the expense of our well-being.  

So I’m here to say to Donald Trump and Big Oil CEOs — go pound sand. California learned the hard way what happens when the oil industry calls the shots. Together, we will protect our coastline — and we will win.