San Diego Leaders and Community Members Speak Out Against Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling off Southern California

On the evening of Thursday, December 4, San Diego elected leaders, businesses, environmentalists, and community members spoke out loudly against the U.S. Department of Interior’s offshore oil and gas drilling proposal at a people’s hearing event in Encinitas. An estimated 175 people attended the event organized by the California Coastal Protection Network, Surfrider Foundation, Oceana, and Wildcoast.

 

The event began with a presentation on the federal proposal to open the entire California coast, the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and the Arctic to new offshore oil and gas leasing with instructions on how to submit official comments to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management before the deadline on January 23, 2026. Event organizers then invited elected officials, business leaders, and other community members to provide public remarks.

 

Speakers included: Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, Solana Beach Mayor, SANDAG Chair Lesa Heebner, Robert Wallace of the Kumeyaay Nation, State Senator Catherine Blakespear (via video), and business, community, and environmental justice leaders. Congressman Mike Levin provided video remarks emphasizing bipartisan opposition to offshore drilling and highlighting his bill the Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act to ban offshore drilling off the Southern California coast. 

 

 

Among the speakers were several youth who shared powerful reflections about their future. Some were avid surfers, while others said they didn’t want to go to the beach only to have to remove tar from their bodies or witness wildlife harmed by the impacts of oil spills. Their testimonies underscored how deeply marine debris and pollution is already shaping their relationship with the coast and expressed a desire for a future where the ocean is healthy and accessible.

 

Apart from outlining the environmental and health impacts, Surfrider Foundation's Ocean Protection Manager, Pete Stauffer, also highlighted how this issue is fundamentally one of environmental justice, disproportionately affecting low-income and frontline communities who rely on a clean coast for recreation, livelihood, and cultural connection. 

 

For people who are in the realm of “just don’t complain about high gas prices” and think new drilling helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil, new offshore drilling would not lower gas prices—those are set by global markets. More drilling is not needed: the U.S. is energy independent and a net oil exporter. The U.S. hit an all-time high in domestic oil production in 2024 without opening any new federal lands or waters for leasing. As a net oil exporter since 2020, the U.S. is energy independent and has the technology to transition to a clean energy economy. Learn more with this Surfrider Offshore Drilling Fact Sheet.

• Surfrider has launched an action alert that allows supporters to easily submit their official comment to the agency. Please complete the action alert today and Surfrider will send your comment to BOEM
• Submit your comment to BOEM directly through this link
• Share the action alert with your friends and family!
• Stay connected with this campaign and follow along by visiting this website and following us on social media

Our beaches and coastlines belong to the people of San Diego, not the corporations trying to profit off them. We’re here to protect our ocean, waves, and beaches for everyone. San Diego County is a biodiversity hotspot with ecosystems that deserve care, not risk from oil spills. Let's say no to new offshore oil and gas leases. Instead, we must invest in clean, renewable energy and local solutions that protect our communities, economy, and environment.