For Immediate Release: 3/11/26
Contact Information:
Haley Ehlers – haley@cfrog.org, (805) 263-7408
Lauren Leland – laurenaleland@gmail.com, (858) 212-2731
On Tuesday afternoon, by a unanimous vote, Santa Barbara City Council voted to pass a resolution in support of a California Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act. This comes on the heels of Santa Barbara County’s vote in support of a Climate Superfund at the end of last year.
City staff presented the resolution alongside an update on the Waterfront Adaptation Plan, demonstrating how funding from the creation of a Climate Superfund could help finance climate adaptation measures such as those identified in the Waterfront Adaptation Plan.
The update outlined how the 3 mile stretch along the waterfront is subject to flooding and erosion due to sea level rise and more frequent and intense storms as a result of climate change. While some of the short term projects, like deployable flood proofing and adding low walls, can be accomplished with current city budgets, significant funding is needed to protect the waterfront in the long run.
“As we heard in the Waterfront Adaptation Plan update, while ‘quick win’ projects are achievable within existing city budgets, projects that comprehensively address coastal hazards will require significant funding,” said Lauren Leland, Santa Barbara Make Polluters Pay Campaign Lead. “A Climate Superfund bill could do just that – provide funding to address coastal hazards as well as invest in wildfire mitigation efforts, community clean energy projects and expanding green jobs.”
While coastal hazards were discussed as the primary example of how Climate Superfund money could be utilized, community members voiced their concerns about the wide array of climate hazards impacting our communities including everything from increasing wildfires to destruction of the agricultural sector.
“Wildfires have always been part of California’s landscape, but their frequency, intensity, and destructiveness have increased dramatically. Yet, the growing financial burden is carried by taxpayers, rather than by the major polluters whose emissions have contributed to the climate conditions that intensify these disasters. I experienced this directly during the Jesusita Fire, which destroyed my home, garden and 28 recently planted fruit trees,” said Catherine Gautier-Downes, a climate scientist at UCSB, a resident of the Santa Barbara Foothills and a member of the Society for Fearless Grandmothers. “In the aftermath, I returned to the site hoping to recover a few surviving belongings. Although I was wearing a mask, walking through the ashes exposed me to a fungus in the soil that causes coccidioidomycosis, or Valley Fever—a disease that a few firefighters also contracted that year.”
The reality of increasing disasters is not lost on Santa Barbara youth, who showed up in large numbers to the hearing. Hunter Maher, a UCSB student and member of CALPIRG, spoke on the student perspective.
“I’ve been working on the Polluters Pay campaign for over a year now and I just want to emphasize the broad support that I’ve seen in the Santa Barbara community for this legislation. I have hundreds of students signed on and dozens of professors at UC Santa Barbara and almost everyone I have talked to about this bill understands that this is something that is morally right.”
This resonated with council members, and many of them spoke to the need to take action now in order to protect future generations as best as possible. Councilmember Wendy Santamaria applauded the young people in the room for making their voices heard and showed strong support for polluter accountability.
“There’s no way that we can look at the effects that climate change is having on our community, see that we have an opportunity to make these polluters pay, and then still say no,” said Councilmember Santamaria of District 1. “I don’t see a world where we could ever do that.”
Although over 75% of voters support climate superfund legislation and 25 other elected bodies across the state have called on state lawmakers to pass this bill, fossil fuel industry lobbying has slowed progress. Last year, the industry spent over $34 million lobbying in Sacramento and have made it one of their top priorities for 2026 to seek legal immunity from climate lawsuits and legislation.
“We have an obligation not just to put forward strong support for the Climate Superfund but also an obligation to take it to Sacramento and to take it nationally too,” said Councilmember Kristen Sneddon of District 4. “It is imperative that the hardships endured are supported and paid for.”
This strong support from the city of Santa Barbara represents the growing momentum of the Polluters Pay campaign on the Central Coast as they join the County of Santa Barbara, Port Hueneme and Oxnard in advocating for a Polluters Pay Climate Superfund, in addition to many other elected bodies across the state. This decision also uplifts the widespread support for polluters pay legislation across the country, with over a dozen states introducing Climate Superfund legislation this year, and California gearing up for reintroduction in early 2027.
This decision also follows the National Make Polluters Pay Week of Action, which took place during January 25-31 of this year, and encompassed a week of grassroots actions taking place across the nation. On the Central Coast, communities came out strong, hosting potlucks bringing together advocates from Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, authoring letters to our representatives, dropping banners over the 101 Freeway, and showcasing the Central Coast’s steadfast commitment to holding polluters accountable.
We are grateful for the City of Santa Barbara’s demonstrated commitment to climate leadership, resilience, and polluter accountability, and encourage other elected bodies to follow their lead as we fight for a more affordable, sustainable, and just future here on the Central Coast and beyond.