By Katie Davis, Chair
Los Padres Chapter
Sierra Club’s Los Padres Chapter has protected our environment in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties for more than 60 years. But we’ve never seen a year like this. No one has been left untouched by the multiple crises we face -- from the pandemic to the deterioration of our democracy to the climate disasters that are forcing people to flee their homes.
Through it all, our Chapter has continued to show up every single day and fight for our communities. I’m deeply proud of the way our donors and volunteers have responded to this unprecedented moment.
Thanks to donors like you, we celebrated some groundbreaking victories in 2020 and a generous donor has agreed to match your donations through December 31 to carry on our work it 2021 (see link below).Here’s some of those victories:
~ You helped us stop over 700 oil wells proposed in Santa Barbara County,
~ Pass our region’s first wind farm that will double renewable energy in Santa Barbara county,
~ Replace Oxnard’s polluting power plants with 195MW of battery storage projects and prohibit oil companies from drilling next to homes and schools in Ventura County,
~ You also supported protection of mountain lions and sensitive habitats, and the 101-freeway wildlife overpass proposed at Liberty Canyon,
~ And even though in-person gatherings were scarce, you helped to mobilize volunteers to invest thousands of hours of service for our local environment!
As I look forward to 2021, the opportunities and challenges are clear.
Overall, fighting on the front lines of the climate crisis where we continue to press for all-electric buildings, all-electric fleets, electric-charging stations, battery storage, solar and wind projects and more bike paths. We will also demand cities set bold reductions in carbon emissions to protect our region from climate impacts, and vulnerable communities from life-threatening pollution.
Oil companies are still trying to increase their production – Exxon is determined to restart offshore oil that has been shut down since a devastating oil spill in 2015. Plains, convicted of felony negligence for that spill, seeks to build a new pipeline.
Protecting local wildlife and wildlands through passage of the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act. the Rim of the Valley Corridor Act, the Channel Islands WILD project, securing endangered species protections for mountain lions and fighting the leasing of public land and waters to oil and mining interests.
We need your financial support to protect Santa Barbara and Ventura counties because the Sierra Club is a volunteer-based action organization, so your donations mobilize scores of your neighbors and friends.
Please join them to make a year-end or monthly contribution so we can seize the moments ahead
You invest directly in the Chapter’s unique strength: Our people. As dedicated members and supporters, we know you are ready to use all the tools of democracy to protect our local environment and the planet overall. We have the power to protect our air, water, lands, and wildlife.
In these uncertain times, local action makes all the difference. Thank you for entrusting us with your dreams for a healthy, thriving Santa Barbara and Ventura region.
To donate, go here: www.SierraClub.org/donate/1000