By Anahita Banerjee
Decrying federal attempts to open the state’s coastline to dirty, irresponsible drilling, over 300 people joined Hands Across the Sand at Santa Barbara’s West Beach Sept. 26. But they also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Act.
Similar Hands Across the Sand events took place in nine other communities along the coast — from Mendocino to San Diego.
The day brought together several local organizations, including Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Center, Fearless Grandmothers, Indivisible Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, 805 Action, Community Environmental Council, Surfrider
Foundation, 350 Santa Barbara, CLUE Santa Barbara, Women’s March, Get Oil Out!, Unidos 805, League of Women Voters, Last Chance Alliance, and Sea League.
Against the sparkling backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, speakers took the stage in Santa Barbara to mark the occasion. Gesturing to the colorful row of booths, Sierra Club’s Emily Engel urged the crowd to engage with participating organizations and extend their impact beyond Hands Across the Sand.
Toni Cordero of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation reflected on a collective duty to protect all that is at risk from continued drilling operations, including livelihoods, recreation, marine life, and the ocean's integrity. She highlighted state and federal environmental progress in response to the devastating 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill as evidence of local movements' power.
In addition to the tangible harms of offshore oil, Environmental Defense Center’s Linda Krop encouraged attendees to “stand up for the rule of law”, denouncing the Trump administration’s flagrant disrespect for local and state regulation in its backing of Sable Offshore. Since May 2025, the company has operated the pipeline that caused the 2015 Refugio oil spill; Krop and other supporting organizations have fought Sable in court ever since.
Coastal Commissioner Meagan Harmon highlighted another federal battle over the authority of California’s Coastal Commission, which has upheld the Coastal Act’s promise to protect the coastline from privatization and development since its conception half a century ago. As the Trump administration attacks the agency for obstructing its oil-drenched reimagining of California’s waters, Harmon stressed that the commitment to preserving the coast is being tested now more than ever.
Student activist Ethan Maday of 805 Action confronted these challenges with heart, criticizing the federal administration’s prioritization of “private profit over public benefit”. He envisioned an oil-free future for him and his fellow students, calling disinvestment in the fossil fuels of the past “just common sense”. Before directing attendees to join hands in a massive line along the shore, Maday called for Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign Gregg Hart’s Assembly Bill 1448, which would close loopholes in existing offshore regulation exploited by companies like Sable. “The feds have poked the bear of California,” Maday asserted; to the approving roar of the crowd confirmed.
Editors Note: Gavin Newson signed Assembly Bill 1448 into law soon after the Hands Across the Sand event on September 29, 2026.