SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — In an action cheered by state environmentalists, the California Coastal Commission has voted to fine a Texas-based oil firm $18 million for failing to obtain necessary permits and reviews in its controversial push to revive oil production off the Gaviota Coast.
After hours of public comment Thursday, the commission found that Sable Offshore Corp. has for months violated the California Coastal Act by repairing and upgrading oil pipelines near Santa Barbara without commission approval.
In addition to the $18-million fine, commissioners ordered the company to halt all pipeline development and restore lands where environmental damage has occurred.
“The Coastal Act is the law, the law … put in place by a vote of the people,” Commissioner Meaghan Harmon said. “Sable’s refusal, in a very real sense, is a subversion of the will of the people of the state of California.”
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An anti-Sable shirt worn by an attendee at a California Coastal Commission hearing to consider sanctions for the Texas-based oil company trying to restart drilling on Santa Barbara’s coast.
(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)
The decision marks a significant escalation in the showdown between coastal authorities and Sable officials, who claim the commission has overstepped its authority. The action also comes at a time when the Trump administration is actively encouraging oil and gas production in stark contrast to California’s clean-energy and climate-focused goals.
Sable insists that it has already obtained necessary work approval from the County of Santa Barbara, and that commission approval was necessary only when the pipeline infrastructure was first proposed decades ago.
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It wasn’t immediately clear how the Houston-based company would respond to the commission’s action.
“Sable is considering all options regarding its compliance with these orders,” read a prepared statement from Steve Rusch, Sable’s vice president of environmental and governmental affairs. “We respectfully have the right to disagree with the Commission’s decision and to seek independent clarification.”
Ultimately, the matter may be end up in court. In February, Sable sued the Coastal Commission claiming it lacks the authority to oversee its work.
On Thursday, Rusch called the commission’s demands part of an “arbitrary permitting process,” and said the company had worked with Coastal Commission staff for months in attempt to address their concerns. Still, Rusch said his company is “dedicated to restarting project operations in a safe and efficient manner.”
Commissioners voted unanimously to issue the cease-and-desist order — which would stop work until Sable obtained commission approval — as well as the order to restore damaged lands. However, the commission voted 9 to 2 in favor of the fine — the largest it has ever levied.
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The hearing drew hundreds of people, including Sable employees and supporters and scores of environmental activists, many wearing “Don’t Enable Sable” T-shirts.
“We’re at a critical crossroads,” said Maureen Ellenberger, chair of the Sierra Club’s Santa Barbara and Ventura chapter. “In the 1970s, Californians fought to protect our coastal zone — 50 years later we’re still fighting. The California coast shouldn’t be for sale.”
Santa Barbara Middle School students wait in line to speak during a California Coastal Commission hearing to consider sanctions for the Texas-based oil company trying to restart drilling on Santa Barbara’s coast.
(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)
At one point, a stream of 20 Santa Barbara Middle School students testified back-to-back, a few barely reaching the microphone. “None of us should be here right now — we should all be at school, but we are here because we care,” said 14-year-old Ethan Maday, a ninth-grader who helped organize his classmates’ trip to the commission hearing.
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Santa Barbara has long been an environmentally conscious community, due in part to a history of major oil spills in the area. The largest spill, which occurred in 1969, released an estimated 3 million gallons of oil and inspired multiple environmental protection laws.
Sable hopes to reactivate the so-called Santa Ynez Unit, a collection of three offshore oil platforms in federal waters. The Hondo, Harmony and Heritage platforms are all connected to the Las Flores pipeline system and associated processing facility.
It was that network of oil lines that suffered a massive spill in 2015, when the Santa Ynez unit was owned by another company. That spill occurred when a corroded pipeline ruptured and released an estimated 140,000 gallons of crude near Refugio State Beach. Sable’s current work is intended to repair and upgrade those lines.
At Thursday’s hearing, Sable supporters insisted the upgrades would make the pipeline network more reliable than ever.
Mai Lindsey, a contractor who works on Sable’s leak detection system, said she found it “unfair” how the commission was asserting itself in their work.
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“Are you in your lane for enforcing this?” Lindsey asked.
She said people need to understand that focusing on previous spills is no longer relevant, given how technology in her industry has drastically changed: “We learn and we improve,” she said.
Steve Balkcom, a contractor for Sable who lives in Orange County, said he’s worked on pipelines for four decades and he has no doubt that this one will be among the safest. He chalked up the controversy to a “not in my backyard” attitude.
“I know the pipeline can be safe,” Balkcom said.
Sable has argued that it can could proceed with its corrosion repair work under the pipeline’s original permits from the 1980s. The company contends such permits are still relevant because its work is only repairing and maintaining an existing pipeline, not constructing new infrastructure.
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The Coastal Commission rejected that idea Thursday. Showing several photos of Sable’s ongoing pipeline work, Lisa Haage, the commission’s chief of enforcement, called Sable’s work “extensive in both its scale and the resources impacted.”
Commission staff have also argued the current work is far from identical from original permits, noting that recent requirements from the state fire marshal mandate new standards to respond to corrosive tendencies on the pipeline.
“Not only did they do work in sensitive habitats and without sufficient environmental protections and during times that sensitive species were at risk, but they also refused to comply with orders issued to them to address those issues,” Haage said at the hearing.
In a statement of defense, however, Sable said this project will “meet more stringent environmental and safety requirements than any other pipeline in the state.”
Carpinteria resident Jessica Norris holds a sign in an overflow room during the California Coastal Commission hearing.
(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)
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The company estimates that when the Santa Ynez Unit is fully online, it could produce an estimated 28,000 barrels of oil a day, according to an investor presentation, while also generating $5 million a year in new taxes for the county and an additional 300 jobs. Sable anticipates restarting offshore oil production in the second quarter this year, but the company acknowledges that some regulatory and oversight hurdles remain.
Most notably, its restart plan must still be approved by the state fire marshal, though several other parts are under review by other state agencies, including state parks and the State Water Resources Control Board.
Commissioners on Thursday were grateful for the community input, including from Sable employees, whom Harmon called “hard-working people” not responsible or at fault for the Coastal Act violations.
“Coastal development permits make work safe,” Harmon said. “They make work safer not just for our environment … they make work safer for the people who are doing the job.”
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She urged Sable to work cooperatively with the commission.
“We can have good, well-paying jobs and we can protect and preserve our coast,” Harmon said.
But some environmentalists said Thursday’s findings should further call into question Sable’s larger project.
“How can we trust this company to operate responsibly, safely, or in compliance with any regulations or laws?” Alex Katz, executive director of the Santa Barbara-based Environmental Defense Center, said in a statement. “California can’t afford another disaster on our coast.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is considering a run for president as he approaches the end of his term, called for a national “billionaires’ tax” on Friday even as he fights another proposal targeting the wealthy in his home state.
Newsom also said the U.S. government should own a stake in artificial intelligence companies. His proposals, outlined in a Substack post, aligns him with the Democratic Party’s populist left, and he argued that urgent changes are needed to prevent the elite concentration of wealth and power from undermining democracy.
“It’s time for an economic reset for America,” Newsom wrote.
The governor announced his agenda a day after an influential health care union in California pledged to go forward with a ballot measure that would impose a one-time 5% tax on the assets of billionaires living in the state as of Jan. 1, 2026.
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Newsom opposes that measure, as do many of the liberal interest groups that typically favor higher taxes. They fear it would drive billionaires out of California, eroding the state’s tax base over the long term for a one-time influx of cash. A technology mecca, California has more billionaires than any other state — a few hundred, by some estimates.
“You may not be able to pick up and move to Texas or Florida to shelter your income from taxation, but I promise you that billionaires can, and do,” Newsom wrote. “Wealth is movable, and it shops for the state with the lowest taxes. The fight belongs at the federal level, where this broken system was created in the first place.”
A minimum tax on large net worths
Newsom said the solution is a new national tax policy, rather than a state-by-state system. He proposed a minimum tax on anyone with a net worth above $100 million. He also wants to make it illegal for the wealthy to borrow against their stock portfolios to fund their luxury lifestyles tax free.
Newsom said there should be new rules for inheritance taxes, warning that “the transfer of wealth among the ultra-wealthy will lock in a permanent American aristocracy of inherited wealth.” And he wants to raise corporate tax rates to where they were before President Donald Trump’s first-term tax cut.
READ MORE: Sanders and Newsom clash over proposed tax on California’s billionaires
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The need is especially urgent as artificial intelligence threatens to displace workers and further concentrate wealth, he wrote.
“We need to ensure every American owns a stake in the future being built by AI through a national public equity fund that takes a major stake in the new economy,” he wrote. “Simply, as artificial intelligence reshapes the country, every American should own a piece of the future it builds.”
Revenue generated by his proposals could be used to retrain workers, fund universal child care, make college free and increase funding for health care.
‘Money buys influence’
Newsom, who has drawn attention as one of Trump’s most high-profile political antagonists, is getting an early start on laying out a policy framework for his potential White House bid months before the midterm elections, which have typically marked the informal start of overt presidential campaigning.
WATCH: News Wrap: Newsom says Trump ordering DOJ to investigate him and wife
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The embrace of a wealth tax by Newsom, a moderate on tax policy despite his liberal reputation, signals a notable shift in the political landscape since Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren struggled to get traction in her 2020 campaign, which she largely centered around a 2% levy wealth tax.
Newsom portrayed the nation’s tax code as a corrupt system built to help an elite few.
“Money buys influence, and influence rewrites the rules,” he wrote. “Those rewritten rules funnel even more wealth to the few. Under this weight, democracy itself starts to buckle.”
A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy.
This is the latest instalment of The Inside Story, Wallpaper’s series spotlighting intriguing, innovative and industry-leading interior design.
Nestled at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in Sierra Madre, a 1947 adobe home – a traditional building method using sun-dried bricks of organic materials – has been reimagined. Removed from the noise and polish of Los Angeles, this neighbourhood is shaded by California oaks, eucalyptus and pine, and shares its hillside with bears. It’s an unusual setting for a design story.
(Image credit: Michael P.H. Clifford)
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(Image credit: Michael P.H. Clifford)
The home’s transformation began with a fire that destroyed much of the structure, leaving only the original adobe brick wall standing. Rather than rebuild from scratch, designer Kirsten Blazek of A1000XBetter chose to work with what remained.
‘The overall vision was to maintain as much of the original character and style of the home as possible, while making it more functional for modern living,’ she explains. New rooms were added – a kitchen, a primary suite, a family room – though the expansion was restrained. ‘We worked mainly within the original footprint,’ the designer notes, ‘only adding a small amount of square footage for the primary closet.’
(Image credit: Michael P.H. Clifford)
(Image credit: Michael P.H. Clifford)
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(Image credit: Michael P.H. Clifford)
On the original adobe side, the layout was left untouched. The hallway windows, original to the 1947 build and ‘one of [Blazek’s] favourite features’, were preserved. ‘I wanted the house to feel like a modern California hacienda,’ she says of her guiding aesthetic, ‘and embraced that through every colour choice and finish.’
That palette draws directly from the landscape. Dunn-Edwards paints in warm, grounded tones – including an exterior shade named ‘Wild Horses’ – echo the surrounding terrain and scrubland. ‘I very much gravitate to an earth-based palette,’ says Blazek, ‘and the location at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains made that feel completely natural.’
Recreate the mood
The interiors, meanwhile, speak to a lifelong passion. ‘I have a deep connection with the American Southwest and have long collected Native American and western-influenced art and objects,’ she says. Yet the rooms never tip into pastiche. Midcentury furniture – sourced from MidcenturyLA, Amsterdam Modern and Lawson-Fenning – grounds the collected pieces with clean, modern lines. Rugs from Pampa and Salam Hello add warmth underfoot; drapery by Zak and Fox frames the windows. ‘I never want my work to feel too referential,’ Blazek reflects. ‘I love midcentury lines, so there’s a pleasing blend of both genres throughout.’
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(Image credit: Michael P.H. Clifford)
(Image credit: Michael P.H. Clifford)
Among her favourite moments is the dining room fireplace – original to the house, but updated with dimensional tile from Lofa Tile. Nearby, a framed print by artist Mark Maggiori anchors the wall. ‘It’s one of my favourite pieces,’ she says. ‘I was grateful to finally find the perfect place for it.’
(Image credit: Michael P.H. Clifford)
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(Image credit: Michael P.H. Clifford)
Between the ancient craft of adobe and the clean geometry of midcentury design, this renovation represents both preservation and reinvention – a modern hacienda rooted in its land, its past and the strength of Blazek’s vision.
CDFW News | California Fish and Game Commission Takes Emergency Action to Prevent White Shark Take and Reduce Potential Interactions Between Hooked Sharks and Swimmers
Prosecutors Honored for Their Work to Protect Wildlife; Southern Resident Killer Whale Named CESA Candidate
Anticipating a larger presence of white sharks in Southern California as a result of warmer El Niño ocean conditions, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) adopted emergency regulations at its June 17-18, 2026 meeting to further protect the large ocean predator and reduce the potential for dangerous interactions with ocean users. These regulations will prohibit the use of certain fishing gear from beaches and nearshore that are used to hook large sharks and could create hazards for nearby beachgoers.
Forecasted warmer waters shift the preferred range for juvenile white sharks northward from Mexico and lead them to stay in California nearshore areas later in the year. The emergency regulations protect not only white sharks but also people recreating in the ocean, decreasing the risk of dangerous human encounters with sharks that are hooked with wire leaders from piers and beaches.
Specific gear types used to target large sharks, including hooks greater than 1.5 inches in maximum inside measurement and wire or metallic lines and leaders, will be prohibited when recreational fishing from shore or within 1,000 yards of shore from Pigeon Point (San Mateo County) south to the U.S.-Mexico border. Shore fishing includes beaches, banks, piers, jetties, breakwaters, docks and other man-made structures connected to the shore. Unless extended, the emergency regulations will expire 180 days after being filed with the secretary of state. The Commission may pursue up to two 90-day extensions of the emergency action and, ultimately, may propose continuing the restrictions through a regular rulemaking if the regulations prove to be effective.
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Prosecutor of the Year
Commissioners recognized two deputy district attorneys who have demonstrated their dedication to protecting California’s natural resources and have effectively collaborated with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to prosecute wildlife crimes. San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Ken Jorgensen and San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Michael McCann were presented with the Prosecutor of the Year Award for 2025.
Jorgenson’s work resulted in a landmark $165,000 settlement and injunctions in a case involving rare plant habitat destruction, and in another case a $12,500 fine and five years of probation for often under-prosecuted commercial fishing violations.
McCann assisted in the prosecution and investigation surrounding a global wildlife trafficking ring connected to illegal drug and firearm trade. The investigation disrupted a sophisticated trafficking network and resulted in multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, with more anticipated.
Southern Resident Killer Whale
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The Commission named the southern resident killer whale (orca) a candidate species for listing under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). This population of orcas inhabits ocean waters from British Columbia to California and is estimated to now number as few as 75.
Orcas face threats such as limited availability of prey; Chinook salmon are a primary food source and have experienced population decline across the entire West Coast range of orcas. The species’ abundance has also been impacted by past practices of capture for live display.
CDFW will have one year to complete a review on the status of orcas, of the best available science, before the Commission can make a final decision on CESA listing. Orca is currently listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act and is considered depleted under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Western Spadefoot
Continued from the Commission’s April meeting, a decision to consider CESA candidacy for western spadefoot frog was postponed to the August meeting to give environmental advocates and the solar industry additional time to collaborate on proposing exceptions to CESA protections that would be allowed under Fish and Game Code Section 2084.
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Meeting Participation and Next Meeting
Commission President Eric Sklar, Vice President Darius Anderson and Commissioners Samantha Murray and Erica Zavaleta were in attendance for both days of the June Commission meeting. Commissioner Jacque Hostler-Carmesin was in attendance for the first day. The meeting was held in Sacramento.
The complete agenda for the meeting, along with supporting information, is available on the Commission website. Archived video of past Commission meetings is available online. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Commission is scheduled for Aug. 12-13, 2026, at the California Natural Resources Agency building in Sacramento. Participants are encouraged to attend in person, with options available for Zoom or phone; for more information visit the Commission website.
The Commission authorized public notice of upcoming potential regulation changes related to:
Harpoons and Flying Gaffs Allowance: A discussion hearing is scheduled for Aug. 12-13 and an adoption hearing Oct. 14-15 on amendments to regulations related to allowing use of harpoons and flying gaffs in the recreational tuna fishery.
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Media Contacts: Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120 Alicia de la Garza, CDFW Communications, (916) 754-7237
