California is known for many things: excellent beaches, great surf, incredible food… and the longest state legislative session in the country. Once again, your California policy team has finally wrapped up advocacy efforts on the year’s bills and, as happens, we have some victories, some defeats, and some “let’s try again new year!” in our annual tally. You can find the full results here, plus some highlights and low points below.
The California Coastal Act
Much of our success is evidenced by what didn’t happen. Namely, we prevented ongoing deregulation efforts from undermining the public coastal access rights and environmental protections guaranteed under the California Coastal Act. Working with our partners in Sacramento, we repeatedly met with legislators to hammer out ways to meet their goals – more housing, for example – while continuing to safeguard the beaches Californians love.
An example of this is SB 484 by Senator John Laird. The bill, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, will advance affordable, infill housing development in California’s coastal cities while preserving the state’s environmental protections. This bill is a major legislative victory that reflects how collaboration between environmental and housing advocates can result in responsible solutions to California’s housing affordability crisis.
Similarly, while we never reached enough alignment with Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal’s office to remove our opposition to AB 462, we were able to offer amendments that dramatically improved the bill, which creates a path for expedited ADU construction in the Coastal Zone while protecting beach access and coastal resources. (Our sticking point was that the bill prohibits appeals to approved projects. This takes away one important way for community members to push back against harmful development.)
Plastic Pollution
We were disappointed that two plastic pollution-related bills we supported – AB 762 (Irwin, Wilson) and SB 45 (Padilla) – were held in committee instead of advancing to the legislature for a vote. AB 762 would have banned single-use vapes and SB 45 would have required beverage container caps to be attached to the container (“leash the lid”). Both would have benefitted our ocean, waves, and beaches by reducing the ongoing problem of plastic pollution in our ocean and along our coast.
Even more frustrating, Governor Newsom vetoed AB 823 (Boerner) one of our priority bills that was passed by the legislature and would have eliminated plastic microbeads from personal care products. While this may seem like a no-brainer to support, in his veto message, Governor Newsom expressed concern about how the market for safer glitter in lotions and such might be affected. We disagree with his interpretation and will continue to fight for safer products and a healthier planet.
Looking ahead
Other bills held in committee (effectively killing them) included important efforts to raise funds for sanitation infrastructure projects related to the Tijuana River, to create surf reserves as a way to support ocean recreation and biodiversity, and to enshrine Clean Water Act protections into state law. We expect to see – and support! – variations of these bills reintroduced in 2026.
Following the gutting of the California Environmental Quality Act this year, we believe legislators and the Newsom administration will attempt to strip protections out of California’s Coastal Act. As lawmakers look to adapt the Coastal Act to modern needs, Surfrider will continue to ensure those efforts don’t take away the rights we’ve celebrated for the past 50 years.
Get involved!
This is a perfect time of year to reach out to your state elected officials and let them know you care about California’s coast and ocean! Find your representatives here. Then, give their office a call and request to meet with your Assemblymember or Senator. Meeting with staff is great, too! Your regional managers and California policy team can provide talking points and guidance on how to effectively use your time if you need it!
Love Your Beach + California Ocean Day – grassroots in action!
Finally, we’d be remiss to not mention our wildly successful inaugural Love Your Beach tour and postcard actions, which culminated in a huge showing at the 20th annual California Ocean Day advocacy event at the state Capitol in Sacramento! A huge thanks to everyone in our amazing California chapters and student clubs who participated!