PCL’s Capital Insider – July 2025 – Part 2

PCL’s Capital Insider for July, 2025 – Part 2

And Now For Some Positive News from Sacramento

 Article published July 28, 2025

July’s Capital Insider is a two-part series – in part one last week, we focused on the CEQA fight and the budget trailer bills. In this edition, part two, we will summarize some of the positive actions we have seen and the bills we are championing.

Wow – what a year so far…

Thousands of bills – that’s what we wade through – reading and analyzing what this or that bill will do, and quite often, where this bill is going in ways they do not share. PCL tracks legislation covering: CEQA, Climate Change, Bonds, Budget, Habitats & Wildlife, Land Use & Transportation, Water, Wildfire, as well as general bills involving the environment, conservation, and, of course, planning. The start of the 2025-2026 legislative session saw over 2,300 new bills introduced, and PCL examined many of them. We are currently tracking just over 200 that impact public health or the environment.

PCL has been actively engaged in several dozen efforts during this legislative session, supporting key wildlife, wildfire, and water bills, and as always, defending CEQA from another onslaught of rollbacks, rewrites, and exemptions. Below is a list of positive bills making their way through the legislative process this session.

Land Use

AB 1139 (Rogers) expands a new CEQA exemption established by AB 2091 (2024), which applies to land use changes in newly acquired parks or open space. Specifically, AB 1139 would exempt from environmental review and public input the process of opening trails for non-motorized public access.  PCL was concerned that new public trails could cause significant impacts to wildlife, sensitive habitats, and adjoining private property, and that the public deserves to have input on these projects. We worked with the bill’s sponsor and author to address these concerns, and PCL went neutral on the bill. Status: The next hearing will be held in the Senate Appropriations Committee on August 18.

Wildfires

The wildfires that swept through Altadena and the Pacific Palisades in January have led to a flurry of legislation to tackle the ever-growing problem of wildfires, as well as the risks associated with development in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Bills that PCL engaged on include:

SB 715 (Allen) seeks to reallocate regional housing needs assessment (RHNA) allocations in response to recent disasters. The bill requires councils of governments (COGs) to shift some or all of the housing needs arising from units lost in recent state-of-emergency declarations to other jurisdictions, based on the risk of recurrence. It also requires RHNA allocations to be reduced for jurisdictions with a high proportion of land in very high fire hazard severity zones, and for counties with a large share of their population outside urban areas, with reallocation directed toward lower-risk, more urbanized jurisdictions. PCL is the sponsor of SB 715. Status: SB 715 is now a two-year bill, and the next hearing will be held in the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee at the start of 2026.

SB 815 (Allen) would require the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) to identify and publish retrofitting resources related to wildfire risk reduction, wildfire preparedness, and land use planning in very high fire hazard areas. SB 815 would also require local agencies to update their safety elements to include a comprehensive retrofit strategy for residential developments and infrastructure to improve safety and reduce the risk of property loss and damage during wildfires. Status: The bill was held on the suspense file in the Senate Appropriations Committee, discussions are expected to continue, and this issue will remain a focus for PCL going forward.

Housing

SB 484 (Laird) promotes affordable housing in the coastal zone. The bill requires the California Coastal Commission to exempt at least three infill regions from the coastal development permitting requirement for the purpose of constructing 100% deed-restricted affordable housing. PCL has registered its support of this bill. Status: SB 484 has been re-referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee

Wildlife

Wildlife bills are typically few and far between – this session has seen a few of positive note that PCL is actively supporting.

SB 427 (Blakespear) extends the state’s Habitat Conservation Fund (HCF) sunset for an additional 5 years, from 2030 to 2035.  PCL championed and helped pass the HCF in the form of Proposition 117, which voters approved in 1990. To date, the HCF has contributed nearly $1 billion to habitat acquisition, restoration, and public access. PCL is proud to be a key supporter of SB 427 with our allies Audubon and the National Wildlife Federation. Status: The next hearing will be held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1319 (Shultz) empowers the state to protect under the California Endangered Species Act (ESA) any species that loses certain federal protections. This bill forestalls the damaging effects of recent and future federal rollbacks in environmental protection. Status: The next hearing will be held in the Senate Appropriations Committee on August 18th.

Water

AB 43 (Schultz) would indefinitely extend the date by which the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency is authorized to add to the state’s wild and scenic rivers system. Currently, that authority sunsets on December 31^st, 2025. The bill allows the addition of rivers or segments of rivers to the state’s wild and scenic rivers system if, among other things, the federal government enacts a statute that would remove or delist any river or segment of a river in the state. Status: The next hearing will be held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

AB 263 (Rogers, Ramos, Connolly) would extend emergency regulations adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board for the Scott River and Shasta River watersheds until January 1, 2031, or until permanent or long-term instream flow requirements are adopted for those watersheds, whichever occurs first. This bill is essential to protecting fish in the Scott and Shasta Rivers from harmful diversions. Status: The next hearing will be held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

AB 1413 (Papan) prohibits a court from adopting a sustainable yield in a comprehensive groundwater adjudication proceeding if such yield allows more total pumping from the basin than the basin’s sustainable yield, as established in the latest validated groundwater sustainability plan covering the basin. The bill affirms that courts should not substitute legal process for science in addressing the chronic problem of overpumping our limited groundwater resources. Status: The next hearing will be held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

SB-601 (Allen) allows the state to protect certain non-navigable waterways, including some streams and wetlands, which lost federal protections following the 2023 Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court ruling. The bill authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board to regulate the pollution of these waters through enforcement and water quality monitoring tools.PCL has registered its support of this bill. Status: The next hearing will be held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Sometimes, despite all that happens, good work does get done, and we are happy to see these bills advancing with the support of legislators, allies, and members like you! So, be sure to bookmark our legislative watchlist page and look for future summer Capital Insiders for the latest bill updates.

Thank you for your support and for spreading the word on these good bills.