Rooted in Resistance: Ventura County Youth Take on Big Oil

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Undeniably, the wisest voice across generations, the Lorax sheds a crucial piece of wisdom, one that reverberates across the youth of today, inspiring them to advocate for a better future and tangible actions. In Ventura County, California, a group of tireless youth from Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas’ (CFROG) Environmental Voices Academy adopt the Lorax’s advice, and are working around the clock to foster local action towards a fossil fuel-free future.

CFROG is a Ventura County-based advocacy organization leading a just transition away from fossil fuels to protect the health, economy, and climate of all. Working across the just transition, CFROG engages, educates, and mobilizes young people to take action on local climate issues, preparing the next generation of young people to work towards solutions that fight the climate crisis in the Environmental Voices Academy (EVA).

EVA is a program for youth and young adults who are interested in creating tangible changes in the local Ventura County community for a better future. Students are exposed to a combination of curriculum and hands-on experience, learning about a wide variety of topics, from the impacts of rare earth mining for electrification to how to develop strategic advocacy campaigns.

Most recently, EVA students have been utilizing what they have learned in classes to engage with local elected bodies, urging school boards and city councils to take climate action by passing resolutions calling for the end of oil and gas drilling in California.

These resolution campaigns are the root of EVA’s activism. They are local, direct, and tangible pieces of policy that build support among communities and increase pressure on county and state representatives to take similar action. Principally authored by students, the resolutions are motivated entirely by the concerns of youth, reflecting the current issues that stand out and require action. 

For the students, there are many interrelated problems that need to be addressed. 

First, Ventura County is the third-largest producer of oil and gas in California, and second, is the fastest-warming county in the entire continental United States. Third, Ventura County communities are littered with oil and gas wells, with over 60,000 residents living within 3,200 feet of an operational oil or gas well, the majority of whom are Latino.

This close proximity to wells, both operational and idle, is directly linked with adverse health impacts, including respiratory distress, reproductive challenges, and cancer. These negative health impacts are further complicated by the increasing presence of climate change-driven wildfires. Youth are seeing destructive wildfires happening more often and with more intensity each year, posing a significant threat to health, property, and the planet.

For many youth across Ventura County, their childhoods have been marked by one devastating fire after another; their communities are peppered with drilling, while they suffocate at the hands of industry.

The Fight

Recent state policies have attempted to remedy the injustices associated with communities living so close to drilling and shouldering the costs for climate catastrophes without polluter accountability. In 2022, SB 1137 was signed into law by Governor Newsom, implementing a 3,200-foot setback zone between sensitive areas (like homes, schools, and hospitals) and oil and gas wells.

After years of legal and political challenges from the industry, the law officially went into effect in June of 2024. But implementation did not equal enforcement; on the same day of the law’s implementation, 30 drilling permits were issued in Los Angeles, all within the setback zone. Advocates across the state are still fighting for a complete and timely implementation of SB 1137, which has yet to happen. 

For CFROG youth, these realities were unacceptable. Their resolution campaign was initially born of a desire to support SB 1137’s implementation and enforcement, but has since evolved to encourage polluter accountability for the financial costs and damages caused by the climate crisis, driven by the fossil fuel industry. The resolutions contain a number of key points, urging Governor Newsom and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to: 

• Immediately stop issuing permits for oil & gas production;
• Accelerate the process of phasing out oil and gas extraction in California through a just transition that protects workers and frontline communities;
• Immediately implement the 3,200 ft health and safety setback specified in SB 1137.
• Ensure polluter accountability by supporting the California Polluter Pays Climate Superfund Act of 2025 (SB684/AB1243).

Following the successful passage of these resolutions at the Oxnard Union High School District’s Board of Trustees, the City of Ojai, and the City of Oxnard, CFROG youth are currently pursuing passing a similar resolution at the Camarillo City Council, this time including language to support the California Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025.

Most recently, the City of Camarillo was devastated by the Mountain Fire in November of 2024, which burned 19,904 acres, causing the Air Quality Index (AQI) to surge above 160 (far beyond what is considered safe for anyone to breathe), and causing over an estimated $200 million in financial damages. 

In the aftermath of this disaster, youth are working towards accountability from the fossil fuel companies responsible for these disasters by urging support for the California Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025. Fire weather is becoming increasingly more common, as climate change—caused by increased greenhouse gasses from fossil fuel combustion—makes hotter, drier, and windier conditions more common while simultaneously providing more amounts of dry vegetation for fuel.

The bill would require major fossil fuel companies to compensate for climate damages in California, based on their historical emissions, with funds directed toward climate resilience, clean energy, and impacted communities. Supporting long-term environmental and economic recovery efforts, these proportional fees would amount to less than 0.01% of company profits over 20 years.

Communities like Camarillo and others across Ventura County would benefit from the funds built through this bill, with 40% of funds generated from the bill being directed towards designated disadvantaged communities.

Looking Ahead

While these school boards and city councils do not hold the power to regulate oil and gas drilling or pass state laws, they do represent the people who are affected by the consequences of this industry and climate catastrophes. Collectively, these elected bodies represent hundreds of thousands of students, residents of environmental justice communities, survivors of wildfires and flooding, and more.

While ultimately, the Board of Supervisors is responsible for permitting and allowing oil and gas extraction in Ventura County, passing resolutions among local elected bodies sends a powerful message to the Board of Supervisors that continuing oil and gas extraction is harmful to communities and residents. These resolutions are local; they are made by the youth who suffer the consequences of climate change and fossil fuels, which is what makes them so important. They send a message to larger changemakers and represent the concerns of local communities.

Youth are working right now to protect their health, economy, and climate, and they need your help. As the Lorax said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot…”

Register for biweekly meetings with CFROG here or contact abrah@cfrog.org to learn how to get involved or support their campaigns.

To learn more about CFROG, visit our website or follow us on social media.