The California Legislature cleared a major milestone last week. On Thursday, May 14, the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees each held their suspense file hearings – one of the most consequential moments in the legislative calendar. Bills that have been flagged for "significant fiscal impact" are parked there early in the nine-month session, then voted on all at once – without public testimony – to either advance them to the next stage of the process or let them die in committee. All this takes place in a fast-moving hearing that can make or break an entire year (or more!) of advocacy work. Several of the bills Surfrider has engaged on were on Thursday's list.
While one of our bills, AB 1938 (Irwin), which would have created surf reserves along California's coast, didn’t make it out of Approps, most of what we’ve been advocating for did – and AB 1740 (Zbur), a bill we oppose as it would undermine the California Coastal Act, emerged with an amendment helping to reduce the harm it would cause.
Plastic Pollution
This is where we scored some solid wins – and where we also helped stop two harmful bills in their tracks.
✅ AB 2253 (Boerner) passed. This bill cracks down on the credit-based accounting schemes that allow companies to label products as "made with recycled content" without physically using any. When you pick up a product with that label, you should be able to trust it. AB 2253 makes that trust legally enforceable.
✅ SB 1180 (Allen) passed. SB 1180 creates the California Plastic Pollution Mitigation Fund under the existing Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, directing resources toward reducing plastic waste at its source. For a bill with real funding implications, clearing Appropriations is a significant milestone.
✅ AB 2226 (Rubio) was held. This bill would have repealed California's plastic produce bag ban — rolling back one of the state's most effective and hard-won tools against single-use plastic pollution. It didn't make it through. Good!
Coasts & Climate
✅ AB 2373 (Dixon) was held. Surfrider strongly opposed this bill, which would have codified "neighborhood scale adaptation" into the Coastal Act without adequate protections against hard armoring. New seawalls accelerate beach loss, impede public access, and shift the costs of private property protection onto California's public coast. We’re relieved our opposition helped stop this misguided measure.
❌ AB 1938 (Irwin) did not get out of suspense. A real disappointment. AB 1938 would have created a pathway to establish surf reserves, giving California's iconic surf breaks formal conservation protections under state law.
Beach Access
✅ AB 2734 (Hart) passed. This bill updates the Whale Tail License Plate funding structure so that more of the revenue drivers generate through the plate goes directly toward coastal access, outdoor education, and grant programs. It's a fantastic, concrete opportunity to invest in equitable access to California's coast and central to this year’s Love Your Beach effort!
✅ SB 1268 (Gonzalez) passed. SB 1268 codifies the Outdoors for All initiative, establishing a framework for equitable outdoor recreation access and directing park investment toward underserved communities. Access to the coast shouldn't be determined by your zip code, and this bill takes a meaningful step toward changing that.
😐 AB 1740 (Zbur) — an update. Surfrider strongly opposes this bill, which undermines Coastal Act protections under the guise of promoting multi-modal transit. It did pass Appropriations yesterday, but not before being significantly amended to limit its application to two years instead of ten. We'd have liked to see it held, but are glad the bill's scope curtailed, and we'll continue opposing it as it moves to a floor vote.
Clean Water
✅ AB 1744 (Addis) passed. In California, "reef-friendly" is merely a marketing term. AB 1744 would change that by establishing truth-in-labeling standards for sunscreens carrying that claim, protecting both consumers and the marine ecosystems they're trying to help.
Stay in the Loop
Floor votes are next for the bills that cleared Appropriations, and the second-house committee process follows after that – see Life Cycle of a Bill for an explainer on the legislative journey. There's still time to make your voice heard. Our 2026 Legislation Tracker has all the bills above, plus everything else we're following this session, updated as bills move.
Track all the bills → california.surfrider.org/2026-legislation