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The Trump administration invoked emergency powers under the Defense Production Act Friday, ordering the restart of the Santa Ynez offshore oil platform and pipeline along the Santa Barbara County coast that was shuttered after a spill released thousands of barrels of crude into the Pacific 11 years ago.
The move, which comes in response to skyrocketing fuel prices in the wake of the Iran conflict, brought an immediate threat to sue by Gov. Gavin Newsom.The order also marks the most aggressive federal intervention yet in a yearslong dispute. On one side is the Trump administration and Sable Offshore Corp., a Houston-based startup that has been trying to restart the pipeline. On the other are California officials and environmental groups who oppose the effort.Sable, which bought the system from ExxonMobil in 2024, has told investors that production could increase from about 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to more than 50,000 if the system restarts, sending oil to refineries in Los Angeles, Bakersfield and the Bay Area. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday evening. The ruptured pipeline released crude oil onto beaches north of Goleta in May 2015, The move, which comes in response to skyrocketing fuel prices in the wake of the Iran conflict, brought an immediate threat to sue by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The order also marks the most aggressive federal intervention yet in a yearslong dispute. On one side is the Trump administration and Sable Offshore Corp., a Houston-based startup that has been trying to restart the pipeline. On the other are California officials and environmental groups who oppose the effort. Sable, which bought the system from ExxonMobil in 2024, has told investors that production could increase from about 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to more than 50,000 if the system restarts, sending oil to refineries in Los Angeles, Bakersfield and the Bay Area. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday evening.Sable was blocked from restarting operations by court orders requiring approval from California regulators — a requirement the Trump administration has tried to override. On Friday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement that the Trump Administration “remains committed to putting all Americans and their energy security first. Today’s order will strengthen America’s oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defense, ensuring that West Coast military installations have the reliable energy critical to military readiness.”“Donald Trump started a war, admitted it would spike gas prices nationwide, and told Americans it was a small price to pay,” Newsom said. “Now he's using this crisis of his own making to attempt what he’s wanted to do for years: open California’s coast for his oil industry friends so they can poison our beaches.” “The Trump administration and Sable are defying multiple court orders, and we will see them back in court,” Newsom said.from the Justice Department concluded that a federal order under the Defense Production Act of 1950 could preempt state law in the Sable case. It also said such an order could override a 2020 federal consent decree stemming from the 2015 Refugio spill that requires approval from the California State Fire Marshal before the pipeline can restart.Environmental groups challenging the legality of Sable’s plans condemned the move. “This is a revolting power grab by an extremist president,” said Talia Nimmer, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, which has challenged the pipeline restart in state and federal court. “Trump is misusing this Cold War-era law just to help a Texas oil company skirt vital state laws that protect our coastline, and Californians will pay the price.” Nimmer said forcing the pipelines to restart would not lower gasoline prices but would expose coastal wildlife to the risk of another spill. Allowing the federal government to override state law so an oil company can restart the pipelines, she said, would set a dangerous precedent. The Trump administration has long sought to expand offshore oil leasing along the West Coast, which has drawn fierce opposition in California. In December, federal officials sought to shift authority over the pipeline from California regulators to Washington when the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ruled that the infrastructure qualifies as an interstate pipeline. It issued an emergency permit approving a restart plan. Environmental groups and the state of California challenged that move and are awaiting a ruling in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A representative for Attorney General Rob Bonta could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday. After the Justice Department released its memo outlining the legal basis for the move, Bonta spokesperson Christine Lee said the state was reviewing that development. “The Trump Administration’s desire to put oil and gas interests over our communities and a clean environment continues unabated,” Lee said, on Tuesday. “We are reviewing this development and cannot comment on legal strategy.”, ruling that the Trump administration’s earlier intervention was not enough to override an injunction requiring Sable to obtain state approvals before restarting.The Academy Awards were last night in Hollywood, hosted by Conan O'Brien. The stars walked the red carpet in a wide range of styles.As Sunday's Oscars ceremony approached, it seemed to be shaping up to be a showdown between the vampires and the revolutionaries, betweenThere were some surprises over the course of the evening, including a rare tie in the live action short category, a remembrance of Robert Redford that includedand Jimmy Kimmel stepping in just long enough to make some pointed comments about media censorship. But let's go over some of the major takeaways.. Anderson had already won several major Oscar precursor awards this year, including top directing prizes at the BAFTAs and from the Directors Guild of America, so he was the odds-on favorite. The other nominees in the category were relative newcomers: Ryan Coogler, Josh Safdie and Joachim Trier were all first-time directing nominees; Chloé Zhao was nominated already had multiple acting nominations before this year., since that was technically a comic-book movie, but that one did away with most of its genre trappings and pressed itself into a dramatic mold, whichemphatically does not. Before that, while definitions of genre aren't bright lines, you might have to go all the way back to ... Anthony Hopkins in, if you consider that horror? Maybe even further? At any rate, it's a great win for an actor who has been beloved at least sincealmost 25 years ago, who's been doing rich and varied work ever since. His victory is also a win for his lengthy and fruitful collaboration with Ryan Coogler in Madigan won best supporting actress for her deeply unsettling and entirely singular performance as Aunt Gladys in— Jordan, Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku — play regular people who are swept into an unreal situation, Madigan is playing, essentially, the boogeyman . It's thrilling to see the Academy recognize a performance that is as weirdscary as just the last few minutes of what Madigan does in Zach Cregger's terrifying story of a town that sees a whole classroom full of its children disappear.Cassandra Kulukundis won the Academy's first award for achievement in casting for her work on "One Battle After Another".This was the first year that there was an Oscar for casting, which is very much overdue — there have been casting Emmys for ages. It was easy to argue for any of the nominated casting directors.places most of the weight of an enormously heavy story on the shoulders of just a couple of performers, including best actress winner Jessie Buckley., not only has been working with Paul Thomas Anderson for ages, but she also worked on casting for bothnominated in the categoryis a sumptuously, inventively, beautifully shot film, and the cinematography is one of the core crafts that makes it so effective.If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.explores how college students achieve their goals, whether they’re fresh out of high school, pursuing graduate work or looking to join the labor force through alternative pathways.Last spring, Dr. Alberto Román was appointed chancellor of the L.A. Community College District. Since then, he's had to lead LACCD's response to a federal government that's taken an aggressive stance toward undocumented immigrants, many of whom are enrolled in community colleges.Román, some students have become the head of their households overnight, after having their parents detained and deported. Alouette Cervantes-Salazar, who runs East L.A. College’s Dream Resource Center, also said “quite a bit” of students have moved to take coursework online.The district’s Dream Resource Centers are hustling to provide legal support, temporary housing options, additional mental health services and food vouchers for affected students.When Alberto Román was a boy growing up in the Mexican state of Durango, his father was often far from home. Most times, he’d be gone for months. Román’s father, Javier, had a third-grade education. And when work was scarce in Mexico, he’d venture north to the United Sates and take whatever job he could find.“He was a guy you would find at Home Depot,” Román told LAist. “He did whatever it took to put food on the table and provide with shelter.” Román missed his father terribly, and he relished the time alone with him. When his father would return to Mexico, they'd hike to a majestic statue of the revolutionary Pancho Villa, where Román and his father could also look out at their city. Román did not know it then but, soon, that view would become a memory. When he was eight, his father returned; but, this time, Javier took his son, his daughter, and his wife with him back to the U.S. The family settled in Rialto, in California's Inland Empire. Suddenly, Román had a new home and new challenges to contend with.The move to Rialto unfurled a series of labels and experiences. Román became undocumented; an “English language learner”; a teenage father; a parenting student. With time, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen and, then, a first-generation college graduate who would one day earn a doctorate. Today, Román serves as chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, which includes nine campuses and more than 200,000 students. A lot of these students are parents like he was, Román said, and the vast majority of them have to work to help put themselves through school.Román was appointed chancellor last May. Soon after, the Trump administration unleashed its militarized mass deportation effort, which included raids and aa small percentage of the overall higher ed population In conversation with LAist, Román referred to the ongoing raids and immigration detentions as “inhumane.” He also described the experience of a student whose father didn’t come home one night. After being detained by immigration agents, Román said, the student’s family “didn't know where he was for two months.” The student was 20 years old when her father was taken. Overnight, she became the head of her household. Now, on top of fulfilling her responsibilities at school, she has to figure out how to keep herself and her younger siblings housed and fed.According to Cervantes-Salazar, the Trump administration’s deportation effort has transformed campus life. When the raids began last summer, she said, “quite a bit” of students who used to take classes in person moved to complete the semester online. For some, Cervantes-Salazar added, online coursework has become preferable because it enables students to better juggle school and work. For others, the fear of getting to and from campus amid Whether the Dream Resource Centers' support will be enough to meet student needs remains to be seen, but Román takes their stories to heart. “These are the stories of our community,” he said. “These are the stories of our students. These are the stories of their parents. And they areFrom 'English language learner' to college graduate Román’s story in the U.S. began in the 1980s. After moving to California, it took Román about two years to learn enough English to communicate with his classmates. Until then, his time in school was lonely.— an educational model that teaches students in English and another language to achieve biliteracy — were rare in the U.S. At Román’s elementary school, he said, they were nonexistent. To help him learn English, Román’s educators placed him in a separate room for about three hours a day. He was given a stack of books. His job was to put on headphones, listen to audio recordings of the texts and do his best to follow along. When Román tried speaking English, some students made fun of his accent. A bilingual child who struggled with Spanish was tasked with serving as his interpreter.His parents made it clear that returning to Mexico was not an option. They’d been poor and had limited schooling, and they wanted something different for their children. Though neither of Román’s parents got to finish high school, he said, they were determined to send their children to college. Román’s older sister graduated at the top of her class and went on to UCLA. Román aimed to follow in her footsteps. But, when he was a high school senior, Román learned his girlfriend was pregnant. He was 17, and he wasn’t sure how fatherhood would square with pursuing higher education. When Román told his parents there was a baby on the way, they remained steadfast."Now you have all the more reason to go to college," his father told him. That fall, Román enrolled at UC Riverside. To help provide for his son, Román got a job at Payless ShoeSource, where he worked up to 40 hours a week. When possible, Román stacked his classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, to keep the rest of the week open for work. “It was tough,” Román said. “I was getting home at 10, 10:30 at night, trying to read, trying to do essays, trying to be a father.” “In moments of weakness,” he added, he contemplated quitting school. But, like his parents, Román wanted a better life for his son.Román graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1999. When he crossed the stage at his commencement ceremony, his child, his parents and his sister beamed from the audience. Today, Román connects his lived experience to that of students at the district, 70% of whom study part-time. “That’s because they're working, because they have families,” he said. Last spring, Román watched thousands of new graduates embrace their loved ones after receiving their diplomas at a commencement ceremony at the Greek Theatre. “When I see my students on stage waving their degrees — despite all the challenges they face — that award is so much more meaningful,” he said. “I know what they went through.”Plus, see world-famous actors perform stories about the ocean, listen to French synth-pop, check out photos from the border and more of the best things to do this week.who’s boss and go to the ballet. We have a great dance community in L.A., and this special performance from American Contemporary Ballet of two classic George Balanchine pieces displays the extraordinary talent required for ballet and the art form's lasting impact. This one kicks off with Sharon Stone and Lily Tomlin, and features performances from Dave Bayley of Glass Animals, Bruce Vilanch, Bellamy Young and many more sharing moving works about the importance of our oceans, just ahead of L.A. Climate Week. Plus, LAist readers can use the code OCEANLOVER for 10% off Did you know there’s donation-based yoga, outside among the friendly spirits of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, several times a week? Start your day off with Kundalini, Vinyasa flow or meditation with some of L.A.’s top teachers. Check the schedule and bring your mat, towel, water and, of course, sunscreen. Back in 2017, I took a road trip to Tecate, Mexico to see JR’s enormous installation of a towering image of a child peering over the Mexican border across to the same, dusty southern California landscape on the other side. It was a powerful message about humanity, immigration, and social justice. He brings that photo and many more to a new solo show,Eid Mubarak to all those celebrating the end of Ramadan this week! If doughnuts are part of your tradition, find out why, as LAist’s Yusra Farzan digs into thehas your music picks; on Monday, you can celebrate the best in pop at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre, while on Tuesday, R&B singer Son Little plays the Troubadour. Tuesday and Wednesday, New Orleans songstress Madeleine Peyroux presentsat the Blue Note. Also on Wednesday, shoegaze stars Nothing are at the Belasco, and a whole bunch of bold-faced names will be at “Toby Gad & Friends” at the Hotel Café. On Thursday, hip-hop legend Talib Kweli plays the Blue Note, Australian dance artist 1tbsp plays the Fonda, Irish indie-pop duo 49th & Main play the El Rey Theatre and Canadian folksters The Barr Brothers play their first of two nights at the Troubadour with support from Benjamin Lazar Davis.Back in 2017, I took a road trip to Tecate, Mexico to see French photo artist JR’s enormous installation — a towering image of a child peering over the Mexican border across to the same, dusty Southern California landscape on the other side. It was a powerful message about humanity, immigration and social justice. He brings that photo and many more to a new solo show,If you haven’t been to a WORDTheatre event, you’re in for a treat, as actors and musicians take to the Saban stage to present stories and songs from the sea. Producer Cedering Fox pairs performers with stories that speak to them, and brings short pieces to life in unique ways. This one kicks off with Sharon Stone and Lily Tomlin, and features performances from Dave Bayley of Glass Animals, Bruce Vilanch, Bellamy Young and many more who will share moving works about the importance of our oceans ahead of L.A. Climate Week. Plus, Best Things to Do readers can use the codeDid you know there’s donation-based yoga, outside among the friendly spirits of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, several times a week? Start your day off with Kundalini, Vinyasa flow, or meditation with some of L.A.’s top teachers. Check the schedule and bring your mat, towel, water and, of course, sunscreen.. A story about love between two young poets — a 27-year-old man and a teenage boy — is “based on Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine’s notorious affair, but set in the epochal downtown poetry scene of filthy 1970s New York.” Take yourself back to a grittier time. The event is sold out, but tickets may be available in person on the day of the reading.I’ve been using French music and ChatGPT to practice my French language skills lately, so I’m pretty into Swiss songstress Vendredi Sur Mer. She brings her dreamy French synth-pop that evokes time in the Swiss Alps to the Roxy; her latest album,Corned beef and cabbage, Guinness, whiskey specials and a burlesque show are all on tap at the annual St. Patrick’s Day party at the Cat & Fiddle pub. Raise a glass and sayand go to the ballet. We have a great dance community in L.A., and this special performance from American Contemporary Ballet of two classic George Balanchine pieces —
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