"When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. — You have to do something." — John Lewis
Our hearts are with the families, worshipers, and entire community affected by the tragic shooting at the mosque in San Diego. No one should ever fear for their safety in a place of worship. We stand in solidarity against violence, hatred, and intolerance in all forms, and we pray for healing, strength, and peace for everyone impacted.
Indivisible Ojai Valley
by Alejandro Lazo (CalMatters)
March 24, 2026
Original article: https://calmatters.org/environment/2026/03/bonta-sable-defense-production-oil/
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California sued the Trump administration Monday to block what it says is an unprecedented power grab: using emergency authority to force the restart of an offshore oil operation shut down more than a decade ago.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, argues a March 13 order by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright oversteps his authority under the Defense Production Act, a Cold War-era law.
“No matter how much President Trump may claim there’s a so-called national energy emergency — it’s just not true,” Attorney General Rob Bonta told reporters. “The U.S. already produces significantly more oil and gas than we use — it’s a completely fabricated claim intended to curry favor with the oil industry.”
The legal fight pits the Trump administration and Sable Offshore Corp. against California officials and environmental groups – and comes as fuel prices jump in the wake of the Iran conflict. Sable, which bought the system from ExxonMobil in 2024, has told investors that production could increase from about 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to more than 50,000 if it restarts, sending oil to refineries in Los Angeles, Bakersfield and the Bay Area.
California argues the emergency powers law is meant to prioritize contracts during emergencies — not to override state law or force a pipeline restart. The state says the administration failed to meet the law’s basic requirements, including showing an actual energy shortage.
Wright’s order marked the most aggressive federal intervention yet in a yearslong dispute. A March 3 legal opinion from the U.S. Justice Department had laid the groundwork, concluding that the emergency order could preempt state law — and even override a 2020 federal consent decree requiring approval from the California State Fire Marshal before the pipeline can restart.
Environmental groups and experts have argued that forcing the pipeline back into production would not lower gasoline prices but would put coastal wildlife at risk and set a troubling precedent for federal power over state law. The Trump administration has long sought to expand offshore oil leasing along the West Coast, which has drawn fierce opposition in California.
Sable is facing mounting legal pressure on multiple fronts. In December, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ruled that the infrastructure qualifies as an interstate pipeline and issued an emergency permit approving a restart plan — a move environmental groups and the state of California challenged. That case is pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
In February, a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge ordered the pipeline to remain shut down, ruling that earlier federal intervention was not enough to override an injunction requiring Sable to obtain state approvals before restarting.
Representatives for Sable, the Energy Department and the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
Join CFROG community members on Tuesday, February 3rd to tune into the Bureau of Land Management’s hearing on their plans to open public lands in Ventura County and beyond to new oil and gas drilling. More details here!
And if you can’t make it to the office, join the virtual hearing from home and give comment!
Also See: IOV Event Page
To: UC President James B. Milliken, the Regents of the University of California, and Governor Gavin Newsom:
We, a network of alumni and friends of the University of California, call on UC’s President and Regents to vigorously and publicly defend the core values that make higher education a cornerstone of American democracy: academic freedom, learning and inquiry free from undue government interference, and educational opportunity for all.
The Trump administration’s escalating campaign against American colleges and universities threatens not only these values but the very foundation of higher education itself. Its goal is not legitimate government oversight, but rather to reshape the core functions of higher education — including admissions, hiring, governance, and curriculum — in order to impose control over what people are allowed to study, write, say, think, and do.
While a handful of elite private universities draw the most headlines, all of higher education is under siege, including our internationally renowned UC system. Among American universities, UC uniquely expresses our nation’s democratic promise. The University of California serves more low-income and first-generation students than any other top-ranked university in the nation, and these graduates go on to power California’s hospitals, schools, businesses, local governments, and cultural institutions, driving the fifth largest economy in the world.
No university is immune to the effects of this administration’s attacks. UC must stand united with the broader higher education community and resist political coercion. This is not the time to stay silent or stand alone.
Specifically, we ask that you:
1) Publicly reaffirm UC’s commitment to free expression, academic independence, and the university’s mission to advance knowledge without political interference.
2) Reject and resist any illegitimate federal pressure to control curricula and hiring, suppress faculty or student speech, or alter admissions or governance policies.
3) Join peer institutions to form a united front defending higher education from politically motivated attacks.
4) Maintain transparency and accountability with alumni, students, faculty, staff, and the broader public about how UC is addressing these threats.
Decades from now, let the University of California be remembered for standing firm for higher education’s mission and values, for all members of its community, and for the democratic freedoms it was founded to uphold.
Sincerely,
UC Unbowed, and our allies and supporters across California and the country, including:
Ginny Browne, UC Santa Barbara and UCLA alum
Joan Cardellino, UC Berkeley alum
Carlos Davidson, UC Berkeley and UC Davis alum
Ruth Tenzer Feldman, UCLA grandparent
Donna Graves, UC Santa Cruz and UCLA alum
Carrie Guerriero, UC Berkeley alum
Janet Kodish, UC Santa Cruz alum; UC retiree
Nora Privitera, UC ally
Gwen Rino, UC Berkeley Extension alum
Ron Rothbart, UC Berkeley alum
The Trump Administration is trying to place the University of California under political control. Join with UC Unbowed to tell President James Milliken, the UC Regents, and Gov. Newsom to protect UC’s academic freedom and independence from the federal government.
Please sign and share this petition link with UC alums, allies of the University of California, and anyone across the country you think will add their name now to stand up for campus freedom:
