The first weeks of 2026 took me up and down the northern part of California, from packed agency hearings next to the Pacific to Sacramento meeting rooms full of scientists, academics, state employees, and environmental advocates all trying to answer the same question: How do we protect what we love? This is my favorite part of this work and also the hardest part: The sheer volume of what's at stake, and the equally remarkable volume of people showing up to fight for it. Here's what I've been up to – and why it matters.
January 16 + January 18: Hundreds Oppose Offshore Oil Drilling at People's Hearings
2026 kicked off with People's Hearings in Santa Barbara, Sausalito, and Eureka, where community members rallied to submit formal public comments against new federal offshore oil and gas drilling proposals.
As Surfrider's California Policy Associate Director, I had the honor of emceeing the Sausalito and Eureka hearings. While the two events took place 262 miles apart, much about them was the same. Both featured stunning bays – San Francisco and Humboldt, respectively – just beyond floor-to-ceiling windows lining the wall. Both starred a roster of ocean champions including Congressman Jared Huffman, State Assemblymember Chris Rogers, and State Assemblymember Damon Connelly. Both brought out hundreds of people determined to make their voices heard. Standing in front of a room full of individuals collectively determined to defend the ocean and creatures who depend on it delivered a much-needed dose of inspiration.
You can find the full People’s Hearings recap here.
January 29: Nature-Based Solutions Summit Showcases California's Path to Climate Action
In late January, Surfrider's Climate Action Program Manager Carla Avila-Martinez and I headed to Sacramento for the state's first Nature-Based Solutions Summit. While the federal government dismantles environmental protections at breakneck speed, California is charting a different course: recognizing nature as one of our most powerful climate weapons.
Carla and I at the Nature-Based Solutions summit.
Wade Crowfoot, Secretary of California's Natural Resources Agency, set the tone by calling attention to a quote from poet Gary Snyder emblazoned on the wall outside the auditorium: "Nature is not a place you visit. Nature is home." The 200-plus people in the audience nodded, murmured in agreement, exhaled, smiled – I imagine we each had a place that sprang straight to mind in that moment.
The state's plans include expanding practices that improve landscape health, increase carbon storage, and shield communities from extreme weather while delivering benefits for wildlife, recreation, and public health. The science backs this up. Soil scientist Dr. Asmeret Berhe noted that healthy wetlands, grasslands, and coastal ecosystems sequester carbon while protecting communities from flooding, storm surge, and sea-level rise. Restoration works at every scale, from greening urban neighborhoods to clearing invasive species from coastal wetlands.
This aligns perfectly with Surfrider's Climate Action Program goal: harnessing nature's power to protect our coastlines from climate impacts. The challenge is speed and scale. California must accelerate restoration across millions of acres while slashing funding barriers and streamlining implementation. By mainstreaming these solutions across all sectors, California can hit carbon neutrality while building a more resilient, equitable, and prosperous future.
February 3: Celebrating and Advocating at California's First-Ever Outdoors For All Convening
The following week brought me back to Sacramento for the inaugural Outdoors for All convening, themed "Building an Outdoors for All, Charting Our Progress, and Mapping the Way Forward." The day featured compelling panels and a keynote from First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
Positivity dominated as staff from 17 state agencies shared outdoor access wins from across California – but not all conversations were light.
Panelists condemned the federal government's campaign to scrub climate change references, Indigenous displacement history, and topics deemed "disparaging" from U.S. National Parks, along with eliminating fee-free days for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, and imposing a $100 fee for international visitors at premier sites.
SJ Joslin at the Outdoors for All convening (Photo courtesy of California State Parks)
A particularly notable moment occurred when panel moderator (and Deputy Secretary for Federal Affairs) Sara Aminzadeh introduced SJ Joslin – a former Yosemite ranger fired for hanging a transgender pride flag off El Capitan. As awareness sank into the packed auditorium, emotion swept the room. Audience members rose to their feet until everyone was standing, applauding Joslin’s commitment to keeping the outdoors a welcome place for all people, even at great personal cost.
Outdoor recreation groups voiced fears about volunteer and participant safety amid violent harassment during federal immigration enforcement operations nationwide. How programs designed to make the outdoors safer for historically marginalized communities can operate in these times remains unanswered – but the commitment stands firm. Nature is essential for physical, mental, and social wellbeing, which is why Surfrider's mission includes "enjoyment of the world's ocean, waves, and beaches for all people."
And this is one reason a resilient coastline is imperative: We can't have equitable beach access without beaches. While the topic of sea level rise didn't surface at the convening, Surfrider seeks to expand our successful State Parks partnership at San Onofre State Beach to protect more State Beaches.
February 4-6: Making History at the Coastal Commission
After Sacramento, I joined the other half of your California Policy team, Senior Coordinator Mitch Silverstein, at the California Coastal Commission meeting in El Granada, just north of Half Moon Bay, at a hotel adjacent to the Pillar Point Harbor – shout-out to Surfrider San Mateo for tirelessly working to protect this part of California's coast!
This was the Commission's first gathering of 2026 and a significant one, with both of us (mostly Mitch!) testifying on multiple items over the course of the three-day meetings. We also took advantage of the surprisingly warm, balmy weather with a four-mile bike ride down the California Coastal Trail to soak in the panoramic ocean views (Mitch) and a quick paddle out at Surfers Beach (yours truly), where despite the erosion, rip rap, water quality warning, and resultant sunburn from forgetting my sunscreen, I had a fine time.
Surfrider San Mateo keeping butts off the beach!
Wednesday brought Executive Director Kate Huckelbridge's announcement of monthly spotlights celebrating the Coastal Act's 50th Anniversary – one program and one public access achievement monthly. Major votes included awarding Local Coastal Program (LCP) Grant Program funds to San Francisco and approving an enforcement agreement resolving years of unpermitted development on culturally significant Humboldt County wetlands.
Thursday featured briefings on fishing communities and offshore wind coexistence, plus a Laguna Beach bluff determination. Housing dominated the San Diego County agenda – Commissioners approved Oceanside's inclusionary housing update and contrasting short-term rental LCP amendments for Encinitas and Del Mar.
Friday's highlight: Commission approval for Baywatch (yes, that Baywatch) to film a new season in Venice Beach – earning a Pro-Coast vote after amended conditions required production to eliminate all single-use plastics.
Read Mitch's full report at our sister site, ActCoastal.
Bills Coming Due!
In between travels, during those few days I worked from my home office or while sequestered in a hotel room or, more often than is healthy, while pulled over on the side of the road while driving through a town big enough to have cell service, I checked my email.
The running theme? California state electeds wasted no time getting back to work at the beginning of January with new ideas – and some repeat ones – for coastal legislation. Some of what we’ve seen proposed inspires us, some alarms us – a typical start to the legislative session, in other words. Lawmakers must have all bills submitted by Feb. 20, so we’ll be updating our Legislation page for 2026 soon!
And if you want to trek to the Capitol and tell decisionmakers what you think they should do to best protect our ocean, waves, and beaches, make sure to set aside Tuesday, April 28 on your calendar. We’re celebrating the 21st annual California Ocean Day in Sacramento and would love to see you there!