California lawmakers are at it again—wasting time on symbolic, feel-good activism instead of doing the actual work that benefits their constituents. Their latest stunt? Urging the Los Angeles Dodgers to cut ties with oil and gas sponsors, as if that will magically resolve the state’s environmental challenges or economic issues woes.

Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez and her colleagues are pressuring the Dodgers to drop sponsorships from companies like Phillips 66, ignoring that oil and gas remain the backbone of California’s economy and daily life. Do these lawmakers have real solutions for replacing petroleum products or the billions in revenue this industry generates? Or is this just another empty political gesture designed to appease activists while ignoring the economic consequences?

Hypocrisy at its finest.

The reality is California depends on petroleum for nearly everything. Let’s see how these lawmakers would function without petroleum-based products:

• Clothing? Synthetic fabrics, dyes, and waterproof coatings all come from oil.

• Electronics? Your phone, laptop, and even electric vehicle batteries contain petroleum-based materials.

• Medical Equipment? Hospitals couldn’t operate without oil-derived materials, from pacemakers to heart valves, prosthetics, and syringes.

• Infrastructure? Roads, bridges, and even wind turbines rely on petroleum-based components.

And yet, while these politicians demonize domestic oil production, California is sending $25 billion a year to foreign governments—some of which kill LGBTQ+ individuals, deny women fundamental rights, and have appalling human rights records. How does that align with their so-called progressive values? Instead of producing oil here with strict environmental regulations, we’re enriching nations that openly oppress their people.

If these legislators truly cared about jobs, affordability, and energy security, they’d be pushing policies that:

– Encourage responsible in-state energy production—keeping jobs, revenue, and environmental oversight within California.

– Lower the cost of living—high fuel prices impact everything from groceries to transportation costs.

– Support innovation without economic self-sabotage—renewables are part of the future, but we can’t pretend oil and gas aren’t necessary today.

Instead, we get grandstanding and empty activism aimed at a baseball team, as if removing a gas station logo from a stadium will somehow save the planet.