What you need to know: Governor Newsom proclaimed April 28 as California Ocean Day, celebrating the state's 1,100-mile coastline, world-class marine protected areas, and $51 billion coastal economy - while Donald Trump and his Republican allies plot to open it to offshore oil drilling and cover it in crude oil.

SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom today proclaimed April 28 as California Ocean Day to honor the coastline that helps define California's identity, economy, and way of life. California's 1,100-mile coast connects California to the world, and the world to California. It is home to one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on Earth, a $51 billion economic engine, and is a living testament to what it means to fight for something worth protecting.

California's ocean is not for sale. Our coast is priceless to the hundreds of thousands of people who depend on it to make a living, and the countless wildlife that make it one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on Earth. While Donald Trump plots to hand our beaches to his fossil fuel industry donors, we'll keep fighting to protect every inch of it.

Governor Gavin Newsom

The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below:

Trump's vision for California's ocean and beaches

Donald Trump's vision for California's beaches? Oil rigs on the horizon, oil slicks in the surf, and dead wildlife washing ashore.

Well blowouts, pipeline ruptures, and catastrophic spills are inherent risks of offshore oil and gas drilling, not isolated incidents. These disasters cost billions of dollars, take decades to remediate, and cause devastating impacts to marine ecosystems and coastal communities that depend on a clean and sustainable ocean environment for their livelihoods. These aren't hypothetical risks. They're California's reality.

A few notable, major oil spills off the Golden State's coast include:

• 2015 Refugio Spill, Santa Barbara County: 142,000 gallons of crude oil spilled onshore. 21,000 gallons reached the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of birds and marine mammals were killed. 138 square miles of fisheries were closed for weeks. Tourism collapsed. Fishing families lost their livelihoods. Communities were saddled with hundreds of millions in cleanup costs. A $23.3 million settlement followed.

• 2021 Amplify Spill, Huntington Beach: Approximately 25,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the ocean. The company faced $210 million in civil and criminal penalties. Beaches closed. The local tourism economy took a direct hit.

• 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill: Over 4.2 million gallons spilled from a platform blowout, prompting the launch of the modern environmental movement.

California's coastal economy supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and generates over $51 billion annually. A single major spill can shut down fisheries for months, shutter beachside businesses for seasons, and inflict generational damage on communities that depend on a clean and healthy ocean to survive.

California is fighting back

Since taking office, Trump has moved recklessly to open the California coast to new offshore oil and gas drilling for the first time in decades. The proposal is so reckless that it drew unified opposition from California, Oregon, and Washington, including bipartisan condemnation from coastal lawmakers.

But Trump didn't stop there.

Facing an energy crisis of his own making - one triggered by his own Iran War - Trump illegally invoked the Defense Production Act to attempt to force a restart of the Sable Offshore pipeline. This is a pipeline whose operators are facing criminal charges. A pipeline barred by multiple court orders from restarting. A pipeline that, the last time it operated, spilled 142,000 gallons of crude oil near Refugio State Beach, killed thousands of birds and marine mammals, closed 138 square miles of fisheries, and left coastal communities to absorb hundreds of millions in damages, which triggered a $23.3 million settlement.

The Sable pipeline has been offline since that spill, and it is barred by a 2020 federal court order from restarting absent approval of California safety inspectors. That order also required the pipeline operator to pay more than $60 million for damages to the State's natural resources and penalties, and to reimburse agencies for the cost of cleaning up the coast. Sable is also currently being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for insider trading and is being sued in a class action lawsuit by shareholders.

Under SB 237 (2025), authored by Senate President pro Tem Monique Limón and Assemblymember Gregg Hart, enacted with strong bipartisan support in the Legislature, and signed by Governor Newsom, any restart must meet new, more rigorous safety requirements. These requirements exist precisely because of what happened in 2015. They are not bureaucratic obstacles. They are sensible safety measures that respond to the pipeline leak in 2015 and the devastating impacts it had on California's coastal communities, wildlife and economy.

In January, the State Fire Marshal, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta, challenged the Trump administration's attempt to federalize these pipelines and bypass state oversight. In a separate case in state court in Santa Barbara, a judge has issued an injunction barring Sable from restarting until all state approvals are secured, and recently denied Sable's request to lift that injunction. Just this month, that same court ruled that Energy Secretary Chris Wright's Defense Production Act does not cancel out previous court rulings prohibiting the pipeline from restarting without meeting legal and safety requirements. Additionally, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney has brought criminal charges against Sable for alleged violations of California water-protection laws.

California has taken prompt legal action to enforce these binding court orders and state law against Sable, and to challenge the Trump administration's unlawful reliance on emergency powers. A presidential executive order cannot override state law.

Investing in California's ocean future

California is making serious investments in ocean health. The California Ocean Protection Council's approval of over $6 million to support transformational research and restoration projects, selected in partnership with California Sea Grant as part of a highly competitive process, will advance California's goal to conserve 30% of its coastal waters by 2030 (as part of the "30×30" initiative) and directly support a healthy coast and ocean.

Action-oriented, two-year research projects will focus on identifying hotspots of biodiversity - areas that are exceptionally rich in species and also highly threatened - to prioritize for conservation through the 30×30 initiative. In parallel, restoration projects will help improve biodiversity in coastal and marine ecosystems associated with 30×30 Conservation Areas.

California's conservation leadership in action

The Golden State is leading the nation in protecting its natural resources. Through California's 30×30 initiative, California added over 1 million acres of conserved land and waters in a single year. That's larger than the entire state of Rhode Island.

Under Governor Newsom's leadership, California helped establish two new national monuments, launched a major project restoring shallow water habitats at the Salton Sea, and received international recognition for protecting marine habitats. California is also ensuring that all residents can access the state's natural wonders with programs like State Parks' free and discounted pass programs and our Youth Community Access Program.

California's coast isn't just an environmental treasure-it's also an economic powerhouse that supports local jobs and businesses, generating over $51 billion annually.