Jane Fonda brought her 'Fire Drill Friday' protests to downtown Los Angeles Friday.
The Oscar-winning actress and activist began leading her weekly protests in Washington D.C., last year, in conjuction with Greenpeace. Fonda has been arrested several times following the protest, along with fellow Hollywood royalty such as Lily Tomlin, Joaquin Phoenix, Diane Lane, Sally Field, Martin Sheen, and others.
"The last few months have shown us that people around the world are ready for a reckoning with the fossil fuel industry, and we'll be in Los Angeles on Friday to keep the pressure on," Greenpeace USA Executive Director Annie Leonard said in a statement. "The science is clear—we need to stop burning fossil fuels and invest aggressively in a transition to clean, safe, renewable energy. California has often been the environmental pace-setter for the nation, leading the way for others to follow. It's now time for our leaders to show the way by passing a Green New Deal, halting new fossil fuel permitting, and beginning to transition off oil and gas, starting with those communities most burdened by fossil fuel operations."
Known for her anti-Vietnam resistance movements, the 80-year-old told Newsweek, she's focused on California environmental issues as the state is the biggest oil-producer in the country, allowing thousands of permits for new drilling and fracking to continue. "We can't continue to drill and frack, and California continues to do it. That's what has to stop. But there hasn't been very much talk about that supply-side, because it's the hard side," Fonda said.
In an interview with the Argonaut, Fonda said that although former Governor Jerry Brown was an "excellent climate leader," he was not an "excellent leader at actually doing something about it."
Fonda says Governor Gavin Newsom has started taking small steps and seems much more collaborative than Jerry Brown. "So we're very hopeful, but he hasn't done what's needed yet."
