The usage of fracking technique of high-pressure water, chemicals, and sand has been used in California since approximately 2011, primarily in order to drill for oil. The controversial technique has been used in at least 1,900 California oil and gas wells by different “Big Oil” companies operating in the State. Regulators and lawmakers were accused by different environmentalist groups to know only very little about how and where oil companies employ techniques of hydraulic fracturing all over California. Since the dangerous effects of fracking on air, water, wildlife, public health and climate became more and more public, different environmental and other civil society movements have formed to protest against the usage of fracking in California. Environmentalists have sued the federal government in order to prevent oil companies from fracking on public lands in Monterey and Fresno counties. The Governor of California, Jerry Brown, has also been heavily criticized for not restricting oil companies in their fracking activities as much as demanded by civil society. In 2013, fracking regulations were included in Senate Bill 4 in California. In a joint letter to Governor Brown, Environmental Groups responded to the passing of the regulations, saying that the rules included in the bill “do not consider long-term and wide-ranging environmental, public health and economic consequences of fracking in California”.

Due to its dry climate, California has repeatedly been suffering droughts and fires. It has been reported that the oil industry in California is wasting 2 million gallons of water every day by extraction techniques such as fracking, acidizing and cyclic steam injection. Different incidents of water pollution as well as more than 100 violations of the disclosure rules for fracking and other dangerous oil production methods required by Senate Bill 4 have been reported by the Center of Biological Diversity in April 2014. Also, there have been cases of fracking on private land reported, where owners were not notified or asked for their consent.

Since Governor Brown has continuously failed to address these violations and allegations of California residents, local social movements and residents are still fighting for a moratorium on fracking in California. By July 2015, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a complaint asking the Sacramento County Superior Court to kill the faulty EIR’s certification and stop the state from handing out well-stimulation permits based on it.

Moreover there were large marches in California in 2015 against fracking and climate change.

Fracking has been used in at least 1,900 California oil and gas wells by different “Big Oil” companies operating in the State.

Energy Information Administration estimated that Monterey would produce 550 million barrels. The campaign in defense of fracking has been led by the Western States Petroleum Asociation, whose companies account for 80% of California's oil and gas production.