Crowd turns out in Laguna Beach to endorse ban on offshore oil drilling
Orange County beaches have reopened, but local officials and environmentalists are endeavoring to make sure the recent oil spill and its impacts are not soon forgotten.
A crowd of hundreds showed up to support speakers at a news conference calling for an end to offshore oil drilling on Monday at Main Beach Park in Laguna Beach.
“Here in Laguna Beach, we have taken for granted our pristine coast, but sadly our bubble has burst by this horrific and inevitable oil spill,” Judie Mancuso, founder and president of Social Compassion in Legislation, said. “There is so much at stake already for our threatened marine wildlife.”
State Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) has announced he will be introducing a bill during the next legislative session that would bring an end to offshore drilling in state waters, including for those who operate under existing leases. He referred to offshore oil rigs as “menaces” that put beaches and marine ecosystems in harm’s way.
“Even if you’re not an environmentalist, the case for ending offshore drilling is an easy one,” Min said. “Oil drilling off the coast of California accounts for less than 0.3% of all U.S. oil production. It’s not even a drop in the bucket.
“Meanwhile, our coastal economy — based on these beautiful beaches behind me up and down the coastline — accounts for $44 billion a year, employing over a half million Californians.”
The event was headlined by actress and environmental activist Jane Fonda, who was showered with cheers by the attendees as she spoke about the need to protect the ocean. She said that a commitment to ending offshore oil drilling must be made not just locally but at the state and federal level too.
Fonda added that new jobs must be made available to those who have worked in fossil fuel industries.
“They work in an industry that helped build this country,” Fonda said. “We must not blame them. The oil and gas and coal that exists that is not being used is called stranded assets. The workers must never be stranded assets.”
Fonda’s speech was interrupted by a small group of protesters. One attempted to speak over Fonda with a megaphone. The protesters carried with them the American flag and the flag of South Vietnam, as well as a sign with the word, “Traitor,” referring to Fonda’s political activism against the Vietnam War during the early 1970s.
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley spoke to the economic impact of the oil spill.
“Our economy here in Orange County during those first critical 12 days was, along the coast, completely shut down,” Foley said. “The harbors shut down. Tourism shut down after nearly two years of a pandemic where people were finally getting back to work, businesses were finally open, and tourism was coming back to Orange County.”
On Thursday, Laguna Beach fully reopened its beaches, including the water, after incrementally restoring public access. Huntington Beach and Newport Beach also reopened their beaches last week.
Laguna Beach Mayor Bob Whalen cited former U.S. president John F. Kennedy’s speech addressing the United States’ space effort and the decision to put a man on the moon to drive home a point that pursuing a ban on offshore oil drilling would be difficult but that he feels now is the time to take on the challenge.
“This will not be a simple task or a short road but is a challenge we must accept, that we must not postpone, and that we must win,” Whalen said.
The Laguna Beach City Council — all five members of which attended Monday’s news conference — is expected to adopt a resolution Tuesday that states the city’s opposition to oil and gas drilling in federal and state waters off California’s coast.
Councilman George Weiss had a sign attached to his hat at the event that read, “Oil and ocean water don’t mix.”
Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) has repeatedly said the oil spill was the community’s worst fears come to life.
“We are so blessed to be here as stewards of this ocean and as stewards of this planet,” Petrie-Norris said. “We must ensure that another disaster like this does not occur on our watch.”
Amplify Energy issued a statement Monday on environmental remediation efforts pertaining to the spill off the Orange County coastline.
“Over the course of the past two weeks, the Amplify Energy team has worked closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response as part of the Unified Command, and also with many other federal, state and local agencies on the remediation efforts in response to this event,” the statement states. “We are grateful for the efforts of all parties involved, and we will continue to collaborate closely as cleanup and restoration progresses.”
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