By Youth v. Oil Members Kaylee T., Elias O., and Emma L. Right now, cities across the US are being hit with record-high numbers of wildfires, floods, and extreme temperatures. And as the biggest fuel companies continue to exacerbate the climate crisis while generating constant profits, US families and taxpayers are paying the price. But with one dangerous piece of legislation, this could be undone entirely — unless we fight back before it’s too late.   Legislation such as Climate Superfunds is being proposed in states across the nation to hold Big Oil accountable. In recent months, large fossil fuel companies

13 Youth v. Oil members traveled to the state capitol in Sacramento on April 15th to speak at a committee hearing and advocate for strong climate policies that protect our futures. This included making oil companies pay for cleaning up their wells, stronger regulations on datacenters, and a Polluters Pay Climate Superfund. Here are some reflections for our students: “Under an administration that has tried all it can to silence youth voices, this trip has made me feel empowered that I can make a change. Having the opportunity to miss school to lobby for a bill that I believe so

By Kaylee Tichenor (she/her) Youth4Climate member Youth4Climate’s 2026 Summit, themed Butterflies Taking Flight, brought together over 130 attendees – with over 100 of them being youth – making it our largest Youth4Climate Summit yet. The atmosphere was inspiring and uplifting, serving as a strong reminder of the power of youth voices.  The summit was an amazing opportunity to network with other passionate youth and local San Diego environmental organizations. Although many of us had never met prior to the summit, the friendly, relaxed environment made starting conversations and making new connections effortless and fun. The tables set up by local

Hear from our new Energy Affordability Team co-leads at SanDiego350! SanDiego350’s new Energy Affordability Team works to reduce energy costs for San Diegans by fighting the political power of investor-owned utilities, especially San Diego Gas & Electric. They seek state legislation to reduce excessive profits, promote clean energy and level the playing field between the public and investor-owned utilities at the California Public Utilities Commission. At the local level, the team fights for a better deal for San Diego residents from SDG&E. Beth Tennyson How did you first get involved with SD350, and when was that?
I first got involved with

By Katharine Harrison, SanDiego350 Legislative Team Lead Article by The Jumping Off Place “One of the most powerful [tools for political pressure], when well organized, is the boycott: to change where you park your money and where or what you buy.” There are many tools for exerting political pressure: strikes, marches, letters to the press, letters or calls to politicians, public comment at meetings of elected officials, town halls, petitions. One of the most powerful, when well organized, is the boycott: to change where you park your money and where or what you buy. Famous boycotts that made a difference include

By Sofia C. (she/her) Youth v. Oil Intern If you’re familiar with Youth v. Oil and Youth4Climate’s recent work, you’ve likely heard of our priority campaign from the past year: the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025 (AB 1243 and SB 684). These bills were landmark pieces of legislation that would make the top fossil fuel companies pay for the climate damages they’ve inflicted. We lobbied in Sacramento to pass the law, passed three resolutions at city councils, organized walkouts with over 1,300 students across San Diego, and more. In partnership with the statewide coalition, this work shifted Polluters

By Carmen Berry, SanDiego350 Volunteer In American pop culture, flexing cars represent the ultimate freedom – endless expanses of open road and a future unbound by systemic shortages to public transportation systems. Like our landscapes, cars have dominated American pop culture, redefining our personal relationships to space, sustainable development, and freedom. Car-centric development has impeded the expansion of existing public transportation systems nationwide, partially due to federal cuts and impermanent local revenue sources. Facing these escalating attacks on public transportation which foster car dependency, we must reconsider media narratives that stigmatize mass transit and discourage engagement with regional transit systems.

By Ruby Melchior, SanDiego350 Member Climate change disproportionately impacts communities that contribute the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, making climate migration one of the most urgent justice issues of our time. The wealthiest 10% of the global population is responsible for over half of climate-related damages, while the poorest 50% contribute only 7% of emissions. These inequities drive displacement as low income populations face increasing exposure to heatwaves, drought, wildfires, and food insecurity with limited capacity to adapt. California—and particularly San Diego—sits at the center of this crisis, where climate impacts intersect directly with immigration policy and border enforcement. 

By Ken Kobayashi, MD Earlier today, the White House announced that “We are officially terminating the so-called endangerment finding, a disastrous Obama-era policy that severely damaged the American auto industry and massively drove up prices for American consumers.” With these words, the Administration has embraced climate denial as official U.S. policy, ignoring the life-threatening impacts of climate change that millions of Americans face every day. This is no longer a partisan issue. Climate change is increasing costs for all of us by damaging property, disrupting businesses, causing workers to miss work, and increasing the costs of healthcare, electricity, and insurance. 

By Parke Troutman, Utility Campaign Manager New year, new approach to fighting SDG&E’s profitmongering!  Although SanDiego350 has long agitated against San Diego Gas & Electric and its parent company Sempra, we are excited to announce our new volunteer-led Utility Justice team dedicated to fighting for clean and affordable energy and we’re kicking it off with a training on Saturday, January 31st and SDG&E protest on Feb 2nd. LET’S UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM WITH SDG&E… Solar has become the cheapest form of energy globally, yet sunny San Diego has some of the highest electricity rates in the nation. Why? The explanation has

Jim Miller, The Jumping-Off Place & SD350 Board Member Article by The Jumping Off Place “Democrats who already have an advantage on climate and renewable energy with votes and should lean into rather than away from climate by emphasizing affordability and climate costs.” San Diego is heading the wrong way on climate. As the rest of the nation has responded to the reactionary bent of national politics and the environment by largely abandoning or sidelining the issue, one might have hoped that cities like all-blue San Diego could serve as a counterweight but, alas, such is not the case. In

By McGarrah Wilson, Youth Program Manager On October 24th, 2025 over 2,000 middle school, high school, and college students across San Diego and California walked out of class to demand that their state legislators pass the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025 (SB 684 and AB 1243). 19 schools and 1,300 students participated in San Diego County, read below to hear their experiences. Check out photos / news stories from the event. “The Polluters Pay Student walkout was definitely the most thrilling and memorable moment in my life. Watching my friends get excited to raise their voices and fight

By Carmen Berry, SanDiego350 Member Historically, urban living has been associated with unpleasant smells, but what happens when these everyday odors intensify to the point where they become unavoidable? Scent plays a crucial role in forming memories, establishing physiological connections between space and the human body. The subconscious creation of “smellscapes”, place-related hubs of scent and odor, helps to contextualize humans within their settings and build emotional bonds. If you live in a city, you’ll likely find comfort in the modern “smellscapes” your senses have grown accustomed to from living in that place (Creating Smellscapes, Jieling Xiao). Smellscapes encompass the

By Chris Roberts, Transportation Team Lead In a stunning victory for environmental justice, the National City Council voted unanimously against allowing a biodiesel transfer depot to be located at the National City railyard. The depot, proposed by USDG Clean Fuels, a Texas-based energy company, would have been located ½ mile from Kimball Elementary School, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, and a number of homes and businesses. If the transfer depot had been approved, diesel trains would have delivered fuel to the depot, and 72 diesel tanker trucks would have driven through National City every day of the year to

Masada Disenhouse, SanDiego350 Executive Director and Co-founder Dear SanDiego350 community,  You may have seen the recent news that 350.org (the international organization that SanDiego350 is affiliated with) is suspending its programs in the United States, and wondered if our work at SanDiego350 will be impacted. While we have successfully partnered with 350.org’s US campaigns many times (notably on the Keystone Pipeline, the Dakota Access, divestment campaigns) and are saddened that 350.org will be suspending its U.S. programs, I want to assure you that this change at 350.org will not affect our funding, our campaigns, or ability to achieve our mission. 

Bill Gates and the Democratic Party Throw Climate Action Under the Bus By Jim Miller, The Jumping-Off Place & SD350 Board Member Article by The Jumping Off Place From San Diego where Mayor Gloria has ousted the city’s climate and sustainability leader and California where Governor Newsom and the Democrats are tossing their role as climate leaders into the dustbin of history and reembracing the fossil fuel industry, to the national level where the party has summarily abandoned all climate talk, doomerism is definitively out. And why not, when our dear friend Bill Gates has given us the good news in a memo he crafted just in time for COP30

By Brad Barham, SanDiego350 member My September blog, “Western Wildfires, Climate Change, Insurance, Housing, and Inequality”, explored how rising wildfire risk associated with climate change is negatively affecting the housing market. It raises insurance costs, shrinks housing supply, and pushes rents and house sale prices higher and higher. Similar effects occur in other parts of the US where hurricanes, flooding, and other climate-driven shocks also increasingly damage the housing stock. The big picture concern is this: negative supply shocks driven by climate change are exacerbating a longstanding affordability crisis in US housing markets.  The cost of adequate housing has become