From San Diego 350
Young people called on lawmakers, including SD Council President LaCava, to pass the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act to protect schools and communities.
On Friday, October 24, over 1,000 students from 19 schools across San Diego and thousands from 50 California middle schools, high schools, and colleges walked out of class in a coordinated statewide action demanding that oil and gas companies be held accountable for the damage caused by their pollution.
Organized by youth climate groups and advocacy organizations including Youth v. Oil and SanDiego350 in partnership with the Make Polluters Pay campaign, the walkouts spanned San Diego County — with major events at Hilltop High School, Pacific Beach Middle School, University City High School, Eastlake High School, La Jolla High School, and Otay Ranch High School.
“Californians are already reeling from wildfires, floods, and extreme heat. We’re taking to the streets to demand passage of the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act to send a clear message that we won’t let Big Oil continue to destroy our futures,” said Diego Sandoval, senior at Eastlake HS in Chula Vista.
Taarika Sethee, a 15 year old student and lead organizer for San Diego, said,
“Youth showed up today because we are terrified for our futures but not willing to stand on the sidelines. We are taking things into our own hands to demand that polluters pay for the damage they cause – not taxpayers our families.”
Participants in the walkouts emphasized that while California is seen as a climate leader, communities across the state are still suffering from fossil fuel pollution and underinvestment in needed infrastructure and disaster recovery. Many students carried signs reading “Our Future is Burning” and “Make Big Oil Pay”.
Megan Nguyen, a 7th grader from Pacific Beach Middle School said,
“My future is on the line. Fossil fuel companies have misled the public, and fought regulation, and continue to make massive profits from furthering the climate crisis. Who will pay for the climate disasters they’re causing?”
The Climate Superfund would raise over $150 billion from the biggest polluters — without raising taxes on families — and invest it directly into resilient schools, infrastructure, and clean energy jobs. New York and Vermont have passed similar bills.
“Youth v. Oil has secured resolutions supporting the Polluters Pay legislation from the Cities of San Diego, Vista and La Mesa,” said Sofia Carrasco, Youth v. Oil campaign lead. “This week’s walkouts will jumpstart youth-led efforts, including actions and meetings with state lawmakers, ahead of the next legislative session.”
Full list of schools where walkouts were held in San Diego County:
Bonita Vista High School, Cal State San Marcos, Canyon Crest Academy, Eastlake High School, Grauer School, Hilltop High School, La Jolla High School, Mission Bay High School, Mt. Carmel High School, Otay Ranch High School, Pacific Beach Middle School, Point Loma High School, The Preuss School, San Diego High School, SD School of Creative and Performing Arts, Southwest High School, Sweetwater High School, UCSD, University City High School
SanDiego350 is building a movement to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and climate injustice through education and outreach, public policy advocacy, and mobilizing people to take action.
Youth v. Oil is a youth-led campaign dedicated to ending reliance on fossil fuels and to a just, rapid transition to renewables in California.
THe kids are alright! This is great.
Where in San Diego County do we have “oil and gas companies”? What did the walk out accomplish, except to get out of class for a while?
According to the UT, 2+ yrs. ago, article, 139,000 vehicles cross the Border every morning and every PM. MX does not smog any of them. Pemex gas is so strong with toxins, you can smell them 2-3 cars away.
IF the City of SD, and State of CA were really serious about Air Quality, and negative impacts of smog, 1) they would mandate every vehicle using the freeways, streets, roads in CA be smogged. They don’t need to be Registered with CA high vehicle Registration fees, but they sure could be smogged. ADDITIONALLY, some states don’t mandate smogging, so every vehicle with license plates in a state that doesn’t smog needs to be mandated to get their vehicles smogged. 2) City of SD needs to STOP narrowing the streets in congested residential main routes down to one lane in each direction. That causes the traffic to sit and idle, those toxic fumes then float over the adjoining residential street with housing, schools, playgrounds, etc. If the City of SD doesn’t do something to curtail the bad numbers of the air quality, then shut the City Dept. down that’s paying employees to knock their heads against the walls, or sit and do nothing, because it’s a waste of time and tax payers money to staff something they can’t fix.
So cynical, Pat. It’s a national problem — plenty of cars in San Diego on the highways using plenty of gas and oil. The students are right.
San Diego drives my insane….literally. More and more multi unit buildings = more and more cars. SD needs a plan for rapid transit…which is not a bus sitting in traffic. Spend the money and build a subway and overhead rail system. Get rid of every person sitting alone in a car. Yes this is hugely expensive but so is distroying the planet.
Pats:
Frank, per Google AI, definition of gas and oil companies; “An oil and gas company is a business that operates in the oil and gas industry, which includes a wide range of activities like exploration, production, refinement, and distribution of petroleum products. These companies can be “integrated,” meaning they perform all parts of the process from start to finish, or they may specialize in just one sector of the value chain.” The only refinery I know of was/is in El Segundo CA. So, my question remains, where in SD are there gas and oil “companies”.
So did you and the students mean gas stations?????????
Hey Pat, I really don’t understand your point, your emphasis. Students walked out all over California and the kids in San Diego did also in solidarity. When we protested the Vietnam war, the war was thousands of miles away but our government was responsible. So, gas & oil companies may be hundreds of miles away but they are still responsible in large part to the mess we’re in. They’re not the only ones, to be sure, but 350 has targeted them.
Frank my point, you and the students called something “oil and gas companies”. There are no oil and gas companies in San Diego. There are gas “stations”. But you or the headlines didn’t say “stations”. There’s a huge difference. It’s misleading to the reader to use the wrong words. People shouldn’t have to try to figure out what’s fact or fiction in the media.
Okay, Pat (I hoped we followed your requests), the students were not protesting individual gas stations, but I think we’ve whooped this horse enough.