Board schedules closed session on possible litigation with Sable Offshore Corp after public concerns about 2015 spill
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Summary
At a special meeting, the Board of Supervisors recessed into closed session to consider initiating litigation against Sable Offshore Corp (case number read into the record). Public comments urged action over the 2015 spill, with a speaker citing 123,000 gallons discharged and 100 acres damaged.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors read a closed-session item on a potential lawsuit involving Sable Offshore Corp and recessed for an estimated 45-minute closed session to consider initiating litigation against the company.
County staff read the item into the record and identified the matter as Sable Offshore Corp v. County of Santa Barbara in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, providing a case number. The board then recessed into closed session for discussion of initiating litigation; no public vote or outcome was disclosed in the public portion of the meeting.
Before the closed session, Erika Reyes, identifying herself as “representante de Salud Carabajal,” urged supervisors not to allow future approvals that could lead to additional coastal harm and cited the 2015 incident. In the public comment she said the company had “desechado 123000 galones al océano,” damaged “100 de acres” of coastline, and that the county had paid significant sums in connection with the disaster. "Hemos tenido problemas por este desastre... Han desechado 123000 galones al océano. Han destruido 100 de acres," Reyes said.
Reyes also criticized federal and state responses and warned that authorizations could enable continued harm; she urged the county to continue protecting the coast and to pursue alternative energy policies.
The closed-session item in the public readout included the case identification and an estimated duration: "iniciar una litigación," estimated at 45 minutes. The transcript does not record the outcome of the closed session or whether the board authorized filing suit; those determinations, if made, would be reflected in later public minutes or disclosure statements required by law.
Next steps: The board recessed to closed session to discuss the matter; any subsequent formal action or litigation filing must be announced in public records or meeting minutes when appropriate disclosures are permitted.