California's 2026 legislative session ended August 31, and with the Governor's September 30 bill-signing deadline now behind us, the results are in. Surfrider California took positions on bills across all five of our initiative areas this year: ocean protection, plastic pollution, coasts and climate, beach access, and clean water. Here's how the coast fared.
Wins for the Coast
Keeping new offshore drilling out of California. AB 1448 (Hart) was signed into law on September 29. It prohibits the use of existing offshore infrastructure to support new federal oil and gas leases, requires the State Lands Commission to weigh additional environmental and safety factors before renewing leases or approving transfers, and closes a gap in the state's ban on drilling in state waters. Put simply: California's aging pipelines and platforms can't become the on-ramp for new federal drilling. (Full report here!)
More Whale Tail dollars for coastal access. AB 2734 (Hart), Chapter 407, Statutes of 2026, restructures how Whale Tail License Plate revenue is distributed beginning in 2027, directing it toward California Coastal Commission beach and coastal programs and State Coastal Conservancy access grants. Surfrider activists were critical to the success of this campaign, sending in more than 1,500 postcards to lawmakers for our Love Your Beach 2026 effort.
Fewer throwaway vapes on our beaches. AB 762 (Irwin), signed September 29, prohibits the sale of disposable, battery-embedded nicotine vapes, a growing source of plastic and battery waste that our volunteers pick up at beach cleanups across the state.
Ending "reef-safe" greenwashing. AB 1744 (Addis), now Chapter 272, Statutes of 2026, makes it unlawful to market a sunscreen as "reef safe," "ocean friendly," or with similar claims unless the product is free of chemical ultraviolet filters. Consumers who want to protect the ocean deserve labels they can trust.
Outdoors for All. SB 1268 (Gonzalez), signed September 29, codifies the goals and programs of the Outdoors for All initiative, prioritizing park and recreation access in communities that have historically been left out.
Addressing hydrogen sulfide exposure. SB 58 (Padilla), Chapter 411, Statutes of 2026, requires the California Air Resources Board to develop a response framework for hydrogen sulfide exposure events, including public workshops in the Tijuana River Valley region, and directs the state's environmental health hazard office to update exposure levels for the gas. For border communities living with sewage-driven hydrogen sulfide releases, this is a meaningful step.
Bad Bills Stopped
Two bills Surfrider opposed died in the Assembly Appropriations suspense file on May 14. AB 2226 (Rubio) would have repealed California's ban on plastic pre-checkout bags, and AB 2373 (Dixon) would have written "neighborhood scale adaptation" into the Coastal Act without adequate safeguards against new seawalls.
We also opposed AB 1740 (Zbur), which as introduced would have carved out Coastal Act exemptions in Santa Monica under the banner of multi-modal transit. Following sustained pressure from Surfrider and partners, the author amended the bill to remove the exemptions we opposed and transform the bill into a positive requirement for Santa Monica to complete its Local Coastal Program.
Setbacks
Not everything went our way. Governor Newsom vetoed AB 2253 (Boerner), which would have cracked down on misleading recycled-content claims on plastic products, and SB 1180 (Allen), which would have set standards for how the California Plastic Pollution Mitigation Fund is spent.
AB 1938 (Irwin), which would have created a pathway to recognize California's iconic surf breaks as surf reserves, was held in Appropriations. SB 1229 (Allen), which would have kept post-disaster coastal rebuilding by new property owners from encroaching on public access, habitat, and tidelands, was moved to the inactive file on August 30. Because 2026 was the second year of the two-year session, these ideas will need to be reintroduced to move forward.
What Comes Next
Every one of these outcomes was shaped by people who showed up: Chapter volunteers who called and emailed their legislators, advocates who traveled to Sacramento for California Ocean Day, and coalition partners who stood with us in committee hearings. Thank you.
The new legislative session begins in December, and we're already preparing. To see every bill we tracked this year and how it ended, visit our 2026 Legislation Tracker. Want to be part of the next round? Connect with your local chapter and sign up for action alerts. Everyone deserves clean beaches and a healthy ocean – get involved and help make sure California’s coast stays protected and accessible to all!
As California Policy Associate Director, Jennifer advocates at the legislature and in front of state agencies to ensure protection of the Golden State's 1,100 miles of coastline. Based in Humboldt County, she supports California's 20 chapters on regional ocean protection efforts.