Surfrider Foundation · California

2026 Legislation Tracker

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

✅ Bills We Support ❌ Bills We Oppose

🌊

Ocean Protection

✅

AB 1448 Protect California’s Coast Against New Offshore Drilling Hart – Santa Barbara Strengthens California’s protections against expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling by prohibiting the use of existing infrastructure to support new federal offshore leases, requiring the State Lands Commission to weigh additional environmental and safety factors before renewing leases or approving transfers, and closing a gap in the state’s ban on offshore oil drilling in state waters.

Next upIn Senate Appropriations. Re-referred to Approps on June 9, 2026, after passing Senate Natural Resources and Water with amendments (Ayes 5, Noes 2).

🐢

Plastic Pollution

✅

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.

Next upIn the Senate. Amended on June 22, 2026 and re-referred to Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee.

✅

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.

Next upIn the Senate Environmental Quality Committee — hearing scheduled for Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

✅

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.

Next upPassed the Senate; now in the Assembly. Referred to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on May 26, 2026.

❌

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.

🎉 Victory! Held in the Assembly Appropriations suspense file on May 14, 2026 — did not move forward out of Appropriations. Read our recap →

🌅

Coasts & Climate

❌

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.

🎉 Victory! Held in the Assembly Appropriations suspense file on May 14, 2026 — did not move forward out of Appropriations. Read our recap →

✅

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.

Did not move forward out of Appropriations. Held in the Assembly Appropriations suspense file on May 14, 2026. Read our recap →

✅

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.

Next upHeading to the Appropriations committee next.

⛱️

Beach Access

❌

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.

🎉 Victory! The author amended AB 1740 to remove all Coastal Act exemptions, eliminating the threat to coastal access and the coastal resource protections Californians depend on. Read our recap →

✅

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.

Next upPassed the Senate; now in the Assembly. Referred to the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife and Natural Resources Committees on May 26, 2026.

✅

AB 2734 Whale Tail License Plate: Coastal Access Funding Hart – Santa Barbara Updates the Whale Tail License Plate funding structure so more of the revenue generated by the plate directly supports coastal access, outdoor education, and grant programs.

Next upPassed the Assembly; now in the Senate. Read first time on May 27, 2026, and referred to Senate Rules for committee assignment.

💧

Clean Water

✅

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.

Next upIn Senate Appropriations. Passed Senate Environmental Quality on June 24, 2026 (7-0) and was re-referred to Approps that same day.

✅

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.

Next upHeading to the Appropriations committee next.

No bills match this filter.