Since the May 19th oil spill near Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County, there have been reports of unexplained oil and tar washing ashore on Los Angeles County beaches. Tar blobs reported on beaches in the South Bay on May 27th lead to the closure of 9 miles of beach south of LAX for several days last week. On June 4th, 4 miles of beach in Long Beach is closed as a result of tar blobs that began washing ashore. Authorities have not yet determined if the local appearance of tar blobs on beaches is related to the Refugio oil spill or not.
At this point, the City is not aware of any oil or tar that has washed ashore along the City's coastline (and we're hopeful that none will). In the event that you observe oil or tar washing ashore in the City or elsewhere, please report it to the Refugio Response Joint Information Center (see link below) or call the National Response Center at (800) 424-8802. Do not attempt to pick up oil or tar yourself. Oiled wildlife should be reported to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at (877) 823-6926.