California Coast Protesters Unite Against Offshore Oil Drilling

Hundreds of people gathered at West Beach in Santa Barbara to protest new offshore oil drilling along California's coast. The event was part of a statewide action, Hands Across the Sand, held in roughly a dozen seaside communities to mark the 50-year anniversary of the California Coastal Act.

The act protects coastal resources and preserves public access to the shoreline. However, attendees also spoke out against additional offshore drilling, arguing that it threatens beaches, ocean ecosystems, and the communities that rely on them.

Toni Cordero, a tribal leader and Environmental Defense Center board member, reminded participants that they were standing on unceded ancestral homelands of the Chumash peoples. Ethan Maday, 16-year-old community organizer and activist, emphasized that society cannot transition away from oil until daily life no longer depends on petroleum-based products.

'We still need oil today, and that sucks,' Maday said. 'We are trying to move away from that. That is why we're not investing in more offshore drilling, more gas and oil production. We're using common sense.'