Phu Tran, junior at Rancho Campana High School, testified before the Oxnard Union High School District in support of climate action. Photo Credit: Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG).
January 19, 2024
Oxnard, CA – During the evening on January 17, 2024, after hearing from student activists, the Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD) Board of Trustees unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the end of oil drilling in Ventura County and California.
“I have known some of the students behind this campaign since they were five years old. Their intelligence, bravery, and leadership, evident in their climate advocacy efforts, are a testament to the quality of students that OUHSD produces. It is crucial that we do everything in our power to protect our students against the harmful effects of climate change, and that starts with calling on our local and state governments to do better. By committing to supporting fossil fuel phase out, we are protecting our schools and communities at large, ensuring that OUHSD will continue to foster future generations of exceptional students for years to come” said Trustee Karen Sher when presenting the resolution.
The resolution:
- Urges Governor Newsom, Ventura County Board of Supervisors, and municipal government agencies to immediately stop issuing new permits for oil and gas production and to accelerate fossil fuel phase out through a just transition that protects workers and frontline communities; and
- Implores Governor Newsom to implement and defend a 3,200ft health and safety setback between fossil fuel extraction sites and sensitive sites, including but not limited to, school campuses, athletic sites, and the neighborhoods where students, families, and teachers live; and
- Recognizes climate change and climate justice as issues important to Ventura County; and
- Declares that OUHSD will continue to transition to renewable energy sources with the urgency the climate crisis demands.
“To me, the word ‘future’ represents an opportunity. An opportunity for our children… the future generation to grow. But, how will they be able to grow if the environment around them isn’t safe?” said Phu Tran, junior at Rancho Campana High School, at the meeting.
Over 15,700 oil and gas drilling permits have been issued in California since Governor Newsom took office in 2019, despite him positioning himself as a climate champion (FracTracker, 2023).
Quitzia Barajas, senior at Oxnard High School, testified, “Envision the multitude of students, vibrant and full of promise, entering the Oxnard High School campus, unknowingly inhaling pollutants emitted by the nearby power plant. Picture the countless breaths taken in each second, each burdened with pollutants. I personally inhale this polluted air everytime I walk into those campus gates.”
The students behind this campaign cited the devastating impacts that climate change has on public health, especially for the health of children.
“Student-athletes face a much higher risk of respiratory issues, reduced athletic performance, increased risk of injuries, and long-term health implications. These consequences are only magnified by the exposure to pollution… The root of the issue does not lie in the location but in our unwavering and unconcerned use of fossil fuels,” said Sierra Whalen, graduate of Adolfo Camarillo High School and current Moorpark College student, during the hearing.
Research shows that those who live near drilling sites have increased risk of childhood cancer, asthma, birth defects, and cardiac problems due to high levels of air pollution.
“I have experienced the effects of pollution from the fossil fuel industry first hand. I have grown up in the La Colonia area and cannot emphasize enough how many hardships my community faces due to pollution… the ABA Energy Corporation oil wells, near the eastern part of Oxnard… are known to emit large amounts of pollutants such as Carbon Dioxide, Black Carbon, and Methane…,” said Miguel Heredia, freshman at Rancho Campana High School, sharing his experience with the Trustees and public.
Oxnard Union High School District, the largest district in Ventura County, joins San Diego Unified School District, Sweetwater Unified School District, and the University of California Berkeley, who have passed similar resolutions.
Local youth, Sierra Whalen, Miguel Heredia, Phu Tran, Rodney Smith, Quitzia Barajas, and Elise Swarts, Trustee Karen Sher, and CFROG staff, Haley Ehlers and Abrah Steward. Photo credit: Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG).
Rodney Smith, senior at Oxnard Middle College High School, said “I am deeply concerned about our future generations, and we must act accordingly. There is so much in our hands, and we do not want to impair or jeopardize the future of our rising OUHSD students.”
“Our children are well aware of what is at stake as they stare down the climate crisis they have inherited. They have expressed fear for what is to come if business as usual continues, if the people that were elected to represent them don’t use their power and influence for positive change,” said Abrah Steward, Program Manager at CFROG.
Link to the recording (View the agenda and the resolution)