Surfrider Foundation · California

2026 Legislation Tracker

Tracking bills that affect California's coasts, oceans, and beaches

✅ Bills We Support ❌ Bills We Oppose

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Ocean Protection

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AB 1536 Pipeline Safety Strengthening Act Addis – Monterey, San Luis Obispo Strengthens CA pipeline safety rules: limits exemptions, mandates abandonment of high-spill pipelines, requires independent risk analysis, and bans spill-prone pipelines near parks.

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AB 1744 Truth in Labelling: "Reef-Friendly" Sunscreen Addis – Monterey, San Luis Obispo Establishes truth-in-labelling standards for sunscreens marketed as "reef-friendly," protecting consumers and marine ecosystems from misleading claims.

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SB 1286 Sea Lions as Official State Pinniped Richardson – South Bay, San Pedro Designates the sea lion as the official state pinniped of California, raising awareness and symbolic recognition for marine mammal conservation.

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Plastic Pollution

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AB 762 Ban on Disposable Nicotine Vapes Irwin – Malibu, Pacific Palisades Prohibits the sale of disposable, battery-embedded nicotine vaping devices — a major source of single-use plastic waste that ends up on California beaches.

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AB 2253 Deceptive Recycling Claims Boerner – San Diego County Cracks down on misleading "recyclable" labelling on plastic products, ensuring consumers can trust the environmental claims made by manufacturers.

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SB 1180 Plastic Pollution Prevention & Packaging Producer Responsibility Act: CA Plastic Pollution Mitigation Fund Allen – Malibu, Santa Monica, South Bay Creates the California Plastic Pollution Mitigation Fund under the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, directing resources toward reducing plastic waste at its source.

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AB 2226 Repeal of Plastic Pre-Checkout Bag Ban Rubio – West Covina Repeals California's existing ban on plastic pre-checkout bags, reversing hard-won protections against single-use plastic pollution in our oceans and on our beaches.

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Coasts & Climate

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AB 1938 Surf Reserves as Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) Irwin – Malibu, Pacific Palisades Creates a pathway to establish "surf reserves" as OECMs, giving California's iconic surf breaks formal recognition and conservation protections under state law.

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SB 1229 Post-Disaster Coastal Reconstruction Protections Allen – Malibu, Santa Monica, South Bay Ensures that post-disaster reconstruction in coastal areas by new property owners does not encroach on public access easements, sensitive habitats, bluff setbacks, or state tidelands, while preserving permit streamlining for disaster victims.

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Beach Access

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AB 2373 Coastal Act: "Neighborhood Scale Adaptation" Loophole Dixon – Orange County Codifies "neighborhood scale adaptation" into the Coastal Act without adequate protections against hard armoring, creating a loophole that could enable new seawall construction along California's coast.

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AB 1740 Gutting Coastal Act Under Cover of "Multi-Modal" Transit Zbur – Santa Monica Undermines Coastal Act protections under the guise of promoting multi-modal transit, threatening public beach access and the coastal resource protections Californians depend on.

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SB 1268 Outdoors for All: Equitable Outdoor Recreation Access Gonzalez – L.A., Long Beach Codifies the goals and programs of the Outdoors for All initiative, achieving equitable access to outdoor recreation for all Californians and prioritizing park expansions in underserved communities.

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Clean Water

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SB 58 New Limits for Hydrogen Sulfide Standards Padilla – San Diego Establishes updated, protective hydrogen sulfide air quality standards to safeguard the health of coastal communities and residents near industrial facilities.

No bills match this filter.