The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday will consider a resolution opposing drilling off the coast of Southern California, following the Trump administration's plans to expand the practice.
Put forward in a board letter by Paloma Aguirre and Terra Lawson- Remer, the resolution states that the Board of Supervisors "opposes any new or expanded offshore oil and gas drilling, and deep seabed mining, and urges federal and state decision-makers to permanently prohibit offshore drilling and deep seabed mining in all U.S. waters, including the Pacific Ocean off California."
The proposal also calls for
Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton "to express the county's support for (United States) House of Representatives Bill 2862, the Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act," according to a board letter.
Shelton would coordinate with Gov. Gavin Newsom, state Attorney General Rob Bonta and Southern California counties on a "unified, regional response needed to keep new oil drilling out of our coastal waters and protect our San Diego communities and local economy."
On Nov. 20, the Trump administration announced that it will reopen ocean waters off the Pacific Coast to oil drilling leases, generating rapid opposition from California officials and environmentalists.
During a Monday morning press conference on the harbor side of the county Administration Building, Aguirre and Lawson-Remer were joined by other opponents of offshore drilling, including an Imperial Beach business owner, an environmental group leader and a medical doctor.
"We are here to tell Donald Trump and the CEOs of Exxon, Chevron and all the major oil companies that our coastline is not for sale," said Lawson- Remer, board chair.
The push to reopen California to more offshore drilling "would be costly, destructive and puts our beaches and coastline at risk of another devastating oil spill," she said, as people stood nearby holding signs that read, "Drilling is Killing."
Lawson-Remer, whose district includes a good chunk of the county's coastline, said she will never forget the sea birds and seals that she saw drowning in oil. She said the 1969 Santa Barbara disaster poured 4 million gallons of crude oil into area waters.
Caused by a well blowout, the spill killed wildlife, destroyed miles of coastline and "changed our state forever," Lawson-Remer added.
The county government resolution will send a message to "Big Oil executives that San Diego County's coastline is not for sale," Lawson-Remer said. "We have strong environmental and pipeline laws to make sure that this does not happen."
The county has made real progress on cleaner types of energy, and "we will not go backwards," said Lawson-Remer, who urged residents to sign a petition available on both her and Aguirre's social media platforms.
Aguirre said that San Diego is "defined by its iconic natural spaces," and accused the Trump administration of trying to turn back the clock to the mid-1980s.
"Let me be clear: No one wants this," said Aguirre, whose district includes the South Bay. "And I mean no one."
Aguirre noted that both Democrats and Republicans in California oppose off-shore drilling, which also threatens undersea ecosystems.
One oil spill "can shut down an entire tourism industry," said Aquirre, citing the Santa Barbara disaster and a 2021 spill off the coast of Huntington Beach in Orange County. The 2021 spill spread tar balls all the way down to San Diego beaches and "it could happen again," Aguirre added.
She said her district knows first-hand the harm pollution can do, as evidenced by sewage in the Tijuana River Valley, which has led to years of beach closures.
"Stopping this plan will take all of us, up and down the state," Aguirre said. "We will send a message so loud they will hear it all the way to the White House." Aguirre also said while a resolution may seem symbolic, it can be an effective tool to push back.
John Crumley, who runs an ice cream shop in Imperial Beach, said he has seen his community change due to environmental pollution. Imperial Beach used to be busy and thriving beach town — but sewage plumes and toxic waste have caused damage, said Crumley, owner of Cow-A-Bunga.
Area beaches are technically open — but if conditions are unsafe, tourists go somewhere else, meaning communities can't bounce back easily, Crumley said. "We absolutely have to oppose any push to expand drilling off our coasts," he added.
The resolution proposal is agenda item 26. The Tuesday board meeting will start at 9 a.m. room 310 of the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway.
