[Ojai, CA] – At the August 28 Ojai City Council meeting, after hearing from local student activists involved in CFROG’s Environmental Voices Academy, the Ojai City Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution calling for the end of oil and gas drilling in California and urging Governor Newsom to immediately implement SB1137, the law 2022 law requiring a 3,200ft distance between oil and gas drilling and sensitive sites.
- The resolution:
- Urges Governor Newsom and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to immediately stop issuing new permits for oil and gas production and to accelerate fossil fuel phase out through a just transition that protects workers and frontline communities; and
- Implores Governor Newsom’s support for 3,200 ft health and safety setback distances between oil extraction and sensitive sites and urges him to do everything in his power to defend these setbacks from efforts to overturn or otherwise undermine them, including the immediate implementation of SB 1137.
- Urges Governor Newsom and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to hold polluters accountable for the timely and complete plugging of orphan and idle wells; and
- Recognizes climate change and climate justice as issues important to the City of Ojai; and
- Declares that the City of Ojai will commit its best efforts, as practicable, to transition to renewable energy sources with the urgency the climate crisis demands.
This landmark resolution is a step towards a safer and healthier future for Ventura County and California as a whole. Ventura County is the third largest oil and gas producing county in the State of California, as well as the fastest-warming county in all of the lower 48 states in the U.S.A., and is home to many environmental justice communities. By pushing for increased accountability from other elected bodies and the fossil fuel industry, the City of Ojai is positioning itself as a leader in climate justice, prioritizing the health of its citizens over the profits of industry.
Over 15,700 oil and gas drilling permits have been issued in California since Governor Newsom took office in 2019, despite him positioning himself as a climate champion (FracTracker, 2023). The students behind this campaign cited the devastating impacts that fossil fuel drilling and climate change have on public health, especially for the health of children. Research shows that those who live near drilling sites have increased risk of childhood cancer, asthma, birth defects, and cardiac problems due to high levels of air pollution.
Local high school senior, Arianna Macias, shared in her public comment that “The youth counts on council members like you to speak up for the rights of people who need their voices heard and their needs met, and above all, their health protected. We are seeing disproportionate health effects to low income communities because they live in such proximity to active oil and gas sites… We hope you care as much as we do because you are our hope.”
Ojai local, Arianna Macias, presents her public comment to the City Council. Download photo here.
The City of Ojai joins the City of Oxnard, the Oxnard Union High School District, the City of San Diego, San Diego Unified School District, Sweetwater Unified School District, and the University of California Berkeley, who have passed similar resolutions.
Youth activists and staff from CFROG and Los Padres Forest Watch celebrate after the unanimous vote to adopt the resolution.
Top from left: Dries Vergeer, Miguel Heredia, Arianna Macias, Brooke Balthaser, Mel Espinoza, Molly McCoy, Eric Bursch.
Bottom from left: Carla Mena, Yesica Gonzalez, Haley Ehlers, Abrah Steward. Download photo here.
Link to the recording of the public hearing (View the agenda and the resolution)