SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — More than 1,000 students across 19 high schools in San Diego County participated in a state-wide walkout on Friday, urging lawmakers to pass climate related legislation.
Demonstrations, partnered with the Make Polluters Pay campaign, were organized by local youth activist groups such as Youth v. Oil and SanDiego350. Students walked out to bring awareness to Assembly Bill 1243, the 2025 Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act.
“Youth showed up today because we are terrified for our futures but not willing to stand on the sidelines,” 15-year-old student and lead organizer Taarika Sethee said. “We are taking things into our own hands to demand that polluters pay for the damage they cause – not taxpayers our families.”
The state legislation requires fossil fuel refiners and extractors to pay into a superfund, calculated by their climate impact. These funds would then be used to mitigate disaster relief.
Students rallying for the legislation said that rather than fossil fuel companies, their generation are the ones currently paying the price for climate related disasters.
Eastlake High School students sign their names on a sign that reads “Dear Assemblymember please vote in support of the Make Polluters Pay Act.” (SanDiego350 Climate Action / Photographer: McGarrah Wilson)
University City High School walkout to pass climate related legislation. (SanDiego350 Climate Action/ Lyric Cabral | Survival Media Agency sma@survivalmediaagency.com)
University City High School walkout to pass climate related legislation. (SanDiego350 Climate Action/ Lyric Cabral | Survival Media Agency sma@survivalmediaagency.com)
“My future is on the line,” Pacific Beach Middle School 7th grade student Megan Nguyen said. “Fossil fuel companies have misled the public, and fought regulation, and continue to make massive profits from furthering the climate crisis. Who will pay for the climate disasters they’re causing?”
Students weren’t alone in their walkouts, Chula Vista Sustainability Commission Chair Dr. Christos Korgan joined Otay Ranch High School students in demonstration.
“Otay Ranch students are showing what civic engagement looks like—organized, informed, and focused on solutions,” Korgan said in a statement. “Our city’s progress on climate depends on partnerships with young people who are ready to lead now, not later.”
Eastlake High School walkout to pass climate related legislation. (SanDiego350 Climate Action / Photographer: McGarrah Wilson)
Eastlake High School walkout to pass climate related legislation. (SanDiego350 Climate Action / Photographer: McGarrah Wilson)
Bonita Vista High School walkout to pass climate related legislation. (SanDiego350 Climate Action / Photographer: Ashley Mayorga)
According to SanDiego350, the full list of walkouts at San Diego County schools include:
Pacific Beach Middle School
SD School of Creative and Performing Arts
University City High School
“Californians are already reeling from wildfires, floods, and extreme heat,” Eastlake High School Student Diego Sandoval said. “We’re taking to the streets to demand passage of the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act to send a clear message that we won’t let Big Oil continue to destroy our futures.”
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