GARDENA, CA — (March 25, 2025) — As part of the ongoing “Dirty Dems” campaign, Greenpeace USA, in collaboration with the California Working Families Party and Courage California, continues to hold California State legislators accountable for their damaging connections to the oil and gas industry and their track record of voting against critical climate, economic justice, and other progressive priorities.
This week, the spotlight is on Assemblymember Mike Gipson, who represents the 65th District of Los Angeles’ South Bay, including Gardena, Compton, and Wilmington. Serving in the California State Legislature since 2014, Gipson has amassed an alarming $260,000 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry, the most of any of the Dirty Dems. This overwhelming influence is juxtaposed to his voting record and his failure to take decisive action to protect the health of his constituents.
Amy Moas, Ph.D., Greenpeace USA Senior Climate Campaigner, said: “Mike Gipson is a prime example of a ‘Dirty Dem’ who has chosen corporate donors over the people he is supposed to represent. His repeated failures to vote on critical environmental, economic, and social justice issues are an affront to his constituents and a betrayal of the values we need in our leaders.”
Assemblymember Gipson has a disturbing pattern of abstaining from votes on key progressive legislation, earning a series of failing grades from environmental groups like the Sierra Club and California Environmental Voters. In both 2023 and 2024, he received these failing grades, mostly due to his repeated absences on critical bills aimed at fighting climate change and protecting the health and safety of his community.
Mike Gipson represents a district that is over 80% people of color, many of whom live in close proximity to oil refineries and one of the largest ports in the United States. The devastating impact of these industries, such as high rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses, is felt daily by his constituents. Yet, Gipson has failed to take action on key legislation designed to protect his community from harmful pollutants and hold the oil industry accountable. In 2024, he scored an F from the California Environmental Justice Alliance for his lack of action on environmental and climate justice.
The “Dirty Dems” campaign will continue to expose the harmful practices of legislators who prioritize corporate donations over their duty to their constituents.
Contact: Gigi Singh, Communications Manager at Greenpeace USA
(+1) 631-404-9977, [email protected]
Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.
