Ojai council adopts resolution opposing new federal offshore and public‑lands oil and gas leases

The Ojai City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a resolution opposing proposed federal offshore oil leases and expanded drilling on public lands.

The resolution, introduced at the request of Mayor Gilman, will be submitted to the federal docket and mailed to specified federal contacts. Staff outlined a “belt‑and‑suspenders” outreach plan: post the signed resolution in the federal portal, send hard‑copy mail to designated officials, and notify U.S. senators, members of Congress and state and county representatives. Council members also agreed staff should share instructions on how residents can submit comments to regulations.gov and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management docket.

Public commenters including representatives of Sea Frog, a local climate and conservation nonprofit, urged adoption and cited past regional oil spills and recent local incidents as reasons to oppose new leasing. Council discussion noted Ojai’s watershed and air quality connections to coastal impacts and referenced the city’s earlier rights‑of‑nature ordinance as complementary to the resolution.

What happens next: the signed resolution will be posted to the federal docket and distributed to elected officials and the public; staff will include comment instructions in city communications.

Quotes

"We've lived with the consequences of this environmental degradation," said Abra Stewart of Sea Frog, urging a unanimous vote.

"We want coastal cities to come to our defense because we abut a forest," City Manager Ben Harvey said, arguing inland communities have stake in coastal protections.

The resolution passed on a unanimous roll‑call vote.