Guest Commentary written by

Ted Danson

Ted Danson is an actor, advocate and Oceana board member.

More than 40 years ago, I was walking along a beach in Santa Monica with my young daughters when we came across a sign that read: “Water Polluted. No Swimming.”

My daughters looked at me, confused. They wanted to know why they couldn’t go in the water.

I didn’t have a good answer.

But I knew then that I wanted to do something about it.

That moment led me to join the fight against offshore drilling off California’s coast. I never imagined that, more than four decades later, we’d still be working to stop it.

For decades, Californians have chosen to protect this coastline. Yet the federal government’s newly released plan threatens to reverse that progress by once again proposing to open our coast to more offshore oil and gas drilling.

Over the years, I’ve watched Californians come together time and again to defend the coast we love. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that progress isn’t permanent. And every victory must be defended.

Californians don’t have to imagine what another oil spill would look like. We’ve lived through the consequences before. From Santa Barbara to Orange County, we’ve seen oil wash ashore, wildlife coated in oil and beaches closed while local businesses, fishers and coastal communities paid the price.

An oil-covered bird flaps its wings while walking along the shore of a beach covered in trash and oil.
An oil-covered bird flaps its wings at Refugio State Beach, west of Santa Barbara, on May 21, 2015. Photo by Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

No parent should have to explain why a pelican is covered in oil or why their favorite beach is suddenly off limits because of another spill. I never wanted to have that conversation with my daughters decades ago, and I shouldn’t have to have it with my grandchildren today.

The White House and oil companies often promise greater energy security or lower gas prices. But even the most optimistic estimates show that opening all of California’s coast to new drilling would add less than one-quarter of 1% to the world’s oil supply. 

It wouldn’t lower gas prices for Californians anytime soon. But it would mar our coast with more oil rigs and increase the risk of yet another devastating spill that threatens our beaches, wildlife and coastal economy.

Fortunately, Californians aren’t powerless. While Washington moves in the wrong direction, Sacramento has an opportunity to move in the right one.

State lawmakers just passed Assembly Bill 1448, legislation that would strengthen California’s ability to stop more drilling off our coast and prevent the use of aging offshore oil infrastructure to support new drilling. It’s a practical, commonsense step that recognizes a simple truth: The cheapest oil spill to clean up is the one that never happens.

As an outspoken advocate for protecting our coasts from more federal offshore drilling and spilling, Gov. Gavin Newsom should sign this legislation into law as soon as possible.

Protecting our coast isn’t a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. It’s a California issue.

California’s coastline is one of the greatest public treasures in the world. It’s where families make lifelong memories, where whales migrate, where surfers greet the sunrise, where fishers earn a living and where millions of people come to experience something bigger than themselves. 

Our beaches, kelp forests and coastal waters aren’t just part of our economy — they’re part of who we are. We’ve spent generations deciding this coastline is simply too valuable to gamble with. We shouldn’t start now.

I feel hopeful.

Time and again, Californians have shown that when our coast is at risk, politics takes a back seat to protecting the places we all love. I believe we’ll do it again.

When I think back to that day on the beach, I still see my daughters looking at me, wondering why the water wasn’t safe. I hope the next generation of parents never has to stand in front of another warning sign, wondering how to explain that we could have prevented it.