A vote for Ricardo Valencia for 5th District County Supervisor is a vote against Trump-era corruption and oil industry interference in our local elections.
Sable Offshore is propping up the challenger, Maribel Aguilera, with massive spending through the Republican Party. Sable is in a league of its own when it comes to flagrant violations of the law. The company has been investigated on criminal charges by the Santa Barbara District Attorney and the California Attorney General, and fined by the Coastal Commission for unpermitted, destructive pipeline excavations aimed at restarting a line that burst and caused a massive oil spill in 2015. Even current 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino — a reliable supporter of the oil industry — voted against transferring permits from Exxon to Sable, citing their “pattern of noncompliance and either ignorance of our rules or just blatant disregard.”
Following donations to the Trump administration and other insider dealing, Sable succeeded in getting federal permission to restart dangerous offshore production and reactivate a corrosion-prone pipeline by misusing a wartime law. Sable is also seeking to seize public and private land.
Now, Sable has donated $60,000 to the Republican Party alongside additional funds to PACs, spending heavily to oppose Valencia and back Aguilera through tactics like AI-generated attack ads.
Now it is up to Santa Maria. Let’s prove that Santa Barbara County cannot be bought off by the oil industry.
Vote Ricardo Valencia for Supervisor!
