Yes - Western States Petroleum Association didn't sponsors awards receptions, dinners for journalists this year
WSPA and the oil companies wield their power in 8 major ways
One of the biggest — and most neglected — environmental stories of the past few years has been the sponsorship of awards receptions and dinners by Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), the largest and most powerful corporate lobbying organization in California.
The great news is that the Western States Petroleum Association wasn’t a “lede sponsor” of the Sacramento Press Club's journalism awards reception this year. Nor could I find WSPA sponsorship of the “media dinner” as part of #BizFedSactoDays, organized by the Los Angeles County Business Federation, or any events organized by the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) so far in 2025.
However, I must note that the BizFedSactoDays in Sacramento this year were sponsored by Chevron and Google.
I go into detail here in exposing WSPA and Big Oil sponsorship of media events and collaboration with the media over the years, with a focus on 2023 and 2024: www.dailykos.com/…
While the dinners and awards receptions for journalists were apparently not sponsored by WSPA this year, Big Oil is definitely pumping many millions of dollars into lobbying California officials this year to stop climate legislation.
In the second quarter of 2025, the oil and gas industry spent even more money lobbying state officials, a total of $9,206,886, than in the first quarter, stopping the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act and other climate legislation from moving forward: cal-access.sos.ca.gov/...
As usual, the majority of this fossil fuel cash was spent by Chevron and the Western States Petroleum Association. Chevron spent even more money on lobbying in the second quarter, $3,889,907, than in the first quarter, coming in first in lobbying expenses.
Chevron has refused to respond to growing calls to boycott the company for its operation and co-ownership of Israeli-claimed fossil gas fields in the Mediterranean. At Chevron stations across the country, including in the Sacramento area and the San Francisco Bay Area, local human rights and environmental justice groups have been holding regular protests to highlight the company’s complicity in genocide, as well in environmental destruction and human rights violations across the globe.
The Western States Petroleum Association finished second in the oil industry lobbying expenses with $3,032,226 spent in the second quarter.
The oil and gas industry spent a total of $9,139,655 in the first quarter of 2025, according to disclosures on the California Secretary of State’s website.
Chevron came in first with $3,758,914 spent, while the Western States Petroleum Association finished second with $3,471,879 spent from January 1 through March 31. That’s well over $7 million between those two organizations alone. Again, nuch of that money was spent on opposing the Climate Superfund Act and other climate bills in 2025's first quarter.
With the first two quarters of the year combined, Chevron has spent $7.6 million, while WSPA has spent $6.5 million in 2025 to date..
Chevron and the Western States Petroleum Association spend more than any other corporate lobbying organizations in Sacramento every year.
Last year the Western States Petroleum Association placed first in the Big Oil lobbying spending spree with $17.4 million. while Chevron came in second with $14.2 million. Spending by the Western States Petroleum Association and Chevron alone shattered the previous record, coming in at $31.6 million in 2024.
WSPA and the oil companies wield their power in 8 major ways: through (1) lobbying; (2) campaign spending; (3) serving on and putting shills on regulatory panels; (4) creating Astroturf groups; (5) working in collaboration with media; (6) sponsoring awards ceremonies and dinners, including those for legislators and journalists; (7) contributing to non profit organizations; and (8) creating alliances with labor unions, mainly construction trades.
Big Oil lobbyists and CEOs have often served on state advisory and regulatory panels and commissions.
For example, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, the president and CEO of WSPA, served as the chair of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create “marine protected areas” in Southern California waters from 2009 to 2012 at the same she was lobbying for new offshore drilling off the California Coast. She also served on the task forces to create “marine protected areas” on the Central Coast, North Central Coast and North Coast from 2004 to 2012.
