Thread by @SenDaveMin

A full week into the #OCOilspill, we are over 1,300 responders strong with 10,000 public volunteers signed up (4,000+ from OC). To assess our progress over the last few days I joined the @OCSheriff for a flyover of booms, skimming operations, deployed crews, and more. 1/

My first impressions: we’re making headway. Most black crude is visibly extracted compared to this time last week. Experts tell me the spill is by no means on par with the ‘15 Refugio Beach disaster due to their swift response. 2/

In both size and scope, we avoided the worst of the leak. However, this does NOT mean that #OCOilSpill cleanup and recovery efforts will be short—or easy. 3/

Dozens of crews in #HuntingtonBeach still hard at work. My hope is that tar balls I saw walking along the sand will soon be gone, as 200,000 lbs of oily debris have been collected from the shore. Reminder: closures at lifeguard towers between Warner & Santa Ana River Jetty. 4/

Booms in #NewportBeach have been effective, allowing the harbor to finally reopen. I’m told that the bubbles seen around the booms are remnants of oil surfacing on the water. 5/

I’m grateful we were able to reopen the sand all across #LagunaBeach. Unlike our coastal neighbors to the north, Laguna has mostly been spared from this nightmare, at least from a response standpoint. 6/

In short, this flight left me relieved but also reinvigorated in our movement to ban all offshore drilling in CA. There’s a good reason tourists from all over the world choose to come to OC’s stunning beaches. Let’s do our best to protect and keep them. 7/7