•U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), and 27 other members of the California Democratic congressional delegation recently signed a joint letter to condemn the Trump administration’s 2027-2032 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, which includes six lease proposals off the coast of Northern, Central, and Southern California. Addressed to President Donald Trump and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, the Dec. 5 letter says the plan as drafted would undermine state laws that prohibit new offshore drilling along California’s 1,110-mile coastline. “We stand united with the overwhelming majority of Californians who fundamentally oppose any proposal that would expand offshore drilling and risk our state’s invaluable, ecologically unique coast,” the letter states. “This proposal, coupled with ongoing efforts to reduce federal staffing and funding for agencies that protect our environment, including for safety and oil spill response, is not only dangerous but outright reckless.” Efforts to block offshore drilling in California began in 1969 when an oil rig off the coast of Santa Barbara leaked 3 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean, blanketing beaches with a thick layer of oil and killing thousands of marine mammals and birds. It was the largest oil spill in U.S. history until the Exxon Valdez spill 20 years later. “As we have repeatedly seen in California and other parts of the country, offshore drilling is a ticking time bomb,” the letter states.
• California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN) Policy Director Brian Shobe issued a statement on Dec. 5 to congratulate State Sen. Monique Limón on becoming California’s new state Senate president pro tempore. Limón, who was sworn into the role in late November, was chosen to be honored at a Dec. 9 celebration co-hosted by CalCAN and the Community Environmental Council to commemorate the occasion. “We are celebrating her rise to the highest position in the state Senate because she is the driven and effective climate leader we need at this moment in our state and nation,” Shobe said in the Dec. 5 statement. Shobe described Limón as a longtime advocate for climate resilience and agriculture who champions state policies and investments that support Central Coast farms and ranches. “Sen. Limón gets the myriad challenges farmers and ranchers are facing, and she acts with conviction and urgency to address the rising costs of climate change to communities across California,” Shobe said. Founded in 2009, CalCAN includes a network of more 4,000 innovative farmers, ranchers, researchers, advisors, and other advocates that promote the benefits of sustainable and organic farming.
• In a Dec. 5 statement, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) commented on Netflix’s proposed $82 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. “The proposed merger between two of Hollywood’s biggest players will have seismic impacts on the industry and the thousands upon thousands of workers that it supports across Los Angeles and California,” Schiff said. “As this deal is scrutinized, my North Star will be the hardworking Californians who bring us the news, who inspire us and make us laugh or cry, and who are responsible for America’s greatest cultural export around the world. I look forward to better understanding how both companies plan to protect this critical industry and its workers at a time when domestic film and television production is already under the greatest strain in its history.” On Dec. 8, Paramount announced its all-cash tender offer to acquire Warner Bros. that the company claims will provide shareholders $18 billion more in cash than the Netflix deal.
This article appears in Dec 11 – Dec 18, 2025.