SaveMyCoast Updates May 2026

Dear [firstname],

Since President Trump signed the Unleashing American Energy Executive Order in January 2025, his administration has moved aggressively to open California's coastal waters to offshore oil and gas drilling. Six proposed lease sales along the California coast are currently advancing through a simultaneous, three-track federal review process — and we are working hard to match that pace. This newsletter offers updates on what’s happened so far, and what to expect in the coming months.

What the Save My Coast Coalition Has Accomplished

Santa Cruz County has been at the forefront of this fight. In June 2025, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution opposing new and existing offshore oil and gas exploration, and voted to re-establish the Local Governments Coordination Group. We also retained coastal policy expert Richard Charter, who led the previous opposition campaign during the 1980s and 90s, to provide technical guidance.

Our coalition now includes 12 of California's 15 coastal counties, along with a growing number of cities. Our primary goal is to keep local jurisdictions informed, support official comments to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and build a solid public record to support potential legal challenges. Because individual jurisdictions lack the resources to mount litigation on their own, I've worked with Senator Laird to connect our coalition with the California Attorney General's office to explore possibilities for legal coordination with the State.

What's Coming Next in the Federal Process

The federal leasing process involves three concurrent tracks: the Draft Proposed OCS Leasing Program (DPP), the Call for Information and Nominations, and a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). We are grateful to all local officials, staff, and stakeholders who have already submitted comments across these tracks, including on the proposed fracking at Platform Gilda off Ventura County — a matter given only a 10-day comment window by the Interior Department.

We expect the administration to release an updated Proposed Program at any time. This will trigger the single most important comment period in this entire process: a 90-day window in which the public and local governments can challenge the inclusion of California tracts and demand that federal agencies justify the size, timing, and location of proposed lease areas. This period will also coincide with what is likely to be the only public hearing on offshore drilling in California during this entire federal process — a hearing before the California Coastal Commission. We will alert you as soon as this window opens.

Infographic showing 4 phases of oil and gas drilling, program development, lease sales, exploration plan, production

Concerning Federal Actions

In addition to the drilling push itself, the Interior Department has taken steps that weaken environmental oversight:

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) — the agency responsible for rig safety — has been folded into a newly renamed Marine Minerals Administration (MMA), diminishing the visibility and independence of safety oversight.
The administration's "God Squad" met for just 15 minutes and voted to exempt the Rice's Whale — a Gulf of Mexico species with only approximately 50 individuals remaining — from the Endangered Species Act, citing national security. This sets a troubling precedent for species like the Southern Sea Otter, whose habitat overlaps with proposed California lease areas.

Strengthening Local Regulatory Protections

Working with Save Our Shores and the Mills Law Center at Stanford University, we are updating Santa Cruz County's regulations governing onshore facilities that support offshore drilling, and drafting new rules to prohibit seabed mining. Because changes to the county ordinance require a public vote, I am working with 2nd District Supervisor Kim De Serpa to bring an item before the Board of Supervisors on May 19, 2026 to place an updated ordinance on the November 2026 ballot. The City of Santa Cruz is undertaking a parallel update to its own onshore facilities ordinance. This map shows the California cities and counties that have adopted onshore oil facilities ordinances, together creating a "blue wall" of opposition.

Map of California Counties and Cities with onshore oil facilities restrictions

Help from the State

California's legislature is also taking action. Here is where key bills stand:

Assembly Bill 1448 (Asm. Gregg Hart, Santa Barbara) — Passed the full Assembly in 2025 and is now moving through the State Senate with amendments. The bill would prohibit onshore tidelands infrastructure from being used to support any new federal OCS leases issued after January 1, 2026, and would close existing loopholes that allowed new state-water leasing near the California Coastal Sanctuary.
Senate Joint Resolution 12 (Sen. John Laird) — Passed the State Senate on April 23, 2026, and is now headed to the Assembly. This resolution formally opposes California's inclusion in the federal drilling plan and calls on BOEM to hold public meetings in California and prepare a thorough environmental review before any leasing proceeds.
Assembly Bill 1536 — Save Our Shores Act (Asm. Dawn Addis) — This bill would have restricted the reactivation of oil projects shut down after major spills, and protected state parks and sensitive ecological areas from nearby pipeline operations. Unfortunately, it died in the Assembly Emergency Management Committee when Assemblymember Calderon cast the deciding "no" vote, siding with Republican members. We believe the oil and gas industry influenced that outcome.

Please contact your state representatives to express support for AB 1448 and SJR 12 as they continue moving through the legislature.

You Are Part of This Fight

Photo of a large group of people rallying with signs with blue sky in the background