Jovanka Beckles, Richmond City Council member and candidate for AD 15, will join other local elected officials at a press conference Tuesday, August 21, 2018, 10:30 a.m. on the steps of Oakland City Hall to call on Governor Jerry Brown to set up a state wide plan to phase out oil and gas drilling.
“We desperately need action on climate change,” said Beckles. “Fossil fuel corporate interests and their influence in Sacramento must be resisted – it’s a matter of survival.”
Beckles will join Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, Mayor of Berkeley Jesse Arreguin, and Vice Mayor of Berkeley Cheryl Davila at 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza.
The network of Elected Officials to Protect California is urging Gov. Brown to take the first step by halting permits for new fossil fuel projects, prohibiting drilling within 2,500 feet of homes and vulnerable areas and committing the state to 100 percent renewable energy.
“Despite its reputation as a global climate leader, California is one of the nation’s top oil-producing states,” said Kaplan.
Oil from California is some of the dirtiest. During the Brown administration, more than 20,000 permits for new drilling have been issued.
In addition to the climate damage caused by California’s dirty fuel extraction, thousands of oil and gas wells operate next to homes
According to a recent poll, nearly two-thirds of California voters support phasing out oil and gas drilling within half a mile of homes, schools and other vulnerable sites.
“We must act together to save our planet! It’s not even a choice! said Beckles, who has been endorsed by seven environmental groups, including The Sierra Club of California.