Reflections on the 2025 California Legislative Session
The 2025 California Legislative Session unfolded against a backdrop of attacks from the federal administration, an intensifying wildfire season, and a growing urgency around climate resilience. Despite these high stakes, this year’s session was marked with both progress and missed opportunities on key environmental issues.
At Azul, we work to protect our coasts and oceans through an environmental justice lens, ensuring that Latinx communities, who are deeply connected to our marine environments, have an opportunity to shape the policies that affect our future. This legislative session brought meaningful conversations, promising momentum, and, unfortunately, setbacks that remind us how much work remains to achieve a healthier future for all.
Oil and Gas Legislation
AB 1448 (Hart) and SB 542 (Limon) were strong attempts to address the devastating impacts of oil and gas operations on frontline communities and our coastal ecosystems. AB 1448 aimed to establish clearer timelines and accountability measures for decommissioning offshore oil infrastructure—something long overdue. SB 542 sought to strengthen protections for communities living near oil wells by enhancing public health data collection and emergency response standards.
Both bills demonstrated a commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuels and protecting communities who bear the brunt of this industry’s harm. Unfortunately, neither made it across the finish line. Their failure is deeply disappointing, especially considering how much momentum has been building to end our state’s reliance on dirty energy. At Azul, we know that offshore oil decommissioning and community protections are not optional—they are essential.
SB 237 (Grayson), on the other hand, took the state in the wrong direction. This bill, which ultimately passed, presents a false choice: reduce offshore oil production by increasing onshore oil development, particularly in places in Kern County, where Latinx and low-income communities already face some of the worst air quality and public health burdens in the state. Instead of advancing a just transition, SB 237 doubles down on an extractive system that sacrifices inland communities to maintain the status quo. As Azul stated in our public response, California cannot claim leadership while expanding fossil fuel extraction in communities that have long borne the brunt of this industry’s pollution. Trading one form of fossil fuel extraction for another is not a climate solution—it’s a shell game that perpetuates harm to low-income and Latinx communities inland. It’s a stark reminder that we must remain vigilant and push for true, equitable climate policies, not half-measures disguised as progress.
Housing, Climate Resilience, and Plastic Pollution
SB 484 (Laird) stood out this session as a proactive step in the right direction. By making it easier to build affordable housing in climate-resilient areas, this bill begins to bridge the gap between our housing and climate crises. For too long, environmental policy and housing policy have been siloed. SB 484 is a model of integrated thinking and sets a precedent for what climate-smart housing development can look like.
By prioritizing the siting of affordable housing in climate-resilient locations, SB 484 begins to bridge a crucial gap between our housing and climate policies. It pushes the state to think not just about where we can build, but where we should build—taking into account future climate risks, infrastructure needs, and the long-term safety and well-being of residents.
SB 484 is a smart step forward in ensuring that solutions to our housing crisis do not come at the expense of environmental health or community resilience—and we’re encouraged to see this kind of intersectional thinking taking hold in the legislature.
AB 1056 (Bennett) was a significant win for ocean conservation this year. The bill focuses on phasing out the use of set gillnets—an indiscriminate fishing practice known for catching and killing non-target species such as sea turtles, marine mammals, and other protected wildlife.
AB 1056 helps move California toward a more sustainable and ecologically responsible fishing industry—one that better aligns with conservation science and public values.
AB 823 (Boerner) was a critical piece of legislation that aimed to address the growing threat of microplastic pollution in California. This bill would have been the first in the nation to end intentionally added microplastics in personal care and cleaning products through the legislature. Microplastics—tiny plastic particles that come from consumer products, packaging, and industrial sources—are increasingly showing up in our drinking water, marine life, and even our bodies.
This bill was a common-sense, bipartisan measure that had no registered opposition. Unfortunately, AB 823 was vetoed, despite strong support from environmental groups and public health advocates. Its veto was a setback, and it underscores the need for California to treat microplastic pollution as the serious threat it is.
Looking Ahead: Lessons from the 2025 Legislative Year
One of the more troubling trends this year was the continued push to weaken CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act. CEQA has long been one of our most important environmental tools—ensuring that development projects are thoughtfully reviewed and that communities, especially those historically left out of decision-making, have a voice in shaping their environment. Efforts to chip away at CEQA in the name of “streamlining” not only risk silencing those voices but also open the door to environmentally harmful projects that can disproportionately impact low-income and communities of color.
Similarly, we must remain steadfast in our defense of the California Coastal Act. The Coastal Act is one of the most powerful environmental laws in the country, and it exists because Californians understand that our coast is a public good—not a private commodity. According to the 2024 National Azul Poll, 84% of California Latino voters agree that the government should keep beaches and parks open to everyone – and the Coastal Act is the very instrument that makes that possible. A strong Coastal Act ensures public access, protects fragile marine and coastal ecosystems, and preserves the natural beauty and cultural significance of the coastline for future generations. It is a lifeline for communities like those Azul serves—Latinx families who rely on coastal spaces for recreation, cultural practices, and connection to nature.
The Coastal Act and CEQA are not barriers—they are safeguards. They are what make California’s environmental legacy unique and worth protecting. We cannot afford to weaken them in pursuit of short-term gains or political convenience.
In 2026, California must do more than talk about climate justice—it must legislate it. We need more than symbolic victories. We need real policy that protects our oceans, ends our dependence on fossil fuels, and ensures that Latinx communities are not sacrificed in the name of economic or political convenience.
At Azul, we will continue showing up for our coasts, for our communities, and for a better future for all Californians.