New California Laws 2026
Veterans Cemetery in Anaheim, Orange County from further review under the California Environ- mental Quality Act (CEQA). An act to add and repeal Section 21080.62 of the Public Resources Code, relating to environmental quality, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. AB 580, Wallis. Surface mining: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Extends the sunset date to January 1, 2041, on the statute autho- rizing the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) to prepare a single master reclamation plan, known as the Metropolitan Recla- mation Plan (Plan), for its earth moving operations conducted on lands it owns or leases, or upon which easements or rights-of way were granted to Metro- politan. An act to amend and repeal Section 2715.6 of the Public Resources Code, relating to mining. AB 639, Soria. Dams: exceptions. Exempts specif- ic weirs on the Kings River that have at least three feet of freeboard from regulation and oversight by the Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) within the Department of Water Resources (DWR). An act to amend Section 6003 of the Water Code, relating to dams. AB 679, Pellerin. Department of Parks and Recre- ation: Big Basin Redwoods, Año Nuevo, and Butano State Parks. Permits, until January 1, 2033, the De- partment of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) to ac- quire property for Big Basin Redwoods, Año Nuevo, and Butano state parks on its own behalf. An act to amend Section 15853 of, and to add and repeal Section 15853.1 of, the Government Code, and to amend, repeal, and add Section 5006.1 of the Pub- lic Resources Code, relating to state parks. AB 697, Wilson. Protected species: authorized take: State Route 37 project. This bill allows the Cal- ifornia Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to authorize the incidental take of four fully protected species – the salt-marsh harvest mouse, the Cali- fornia clapper rail, the California black rail, and the white-tailed kite – as a result of construction on State Route (SR) 37, as provided. An act to amend Sections 3511 and 4700 of, and to add Section 2081.13 to, the Fish and Game Code, re- lating to protected species. AB 709, Jeff Gonzalez. Sustainable Groundwater Management Act: groundwater sustainability plans. This bill specifies that groundwater sustainabili- ty agencies (GSAs) that have developed multiple groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs) for a basin are not prohibited for amending the coordination agreement following the Department of Water Re- sources’ (DWR) assessment of the GSPs. An act to amend Section 10733.4 of the Water Code, relating to water. AB 764, Jeff Gonzalez. Birds and mammals: non- game birds: mute swans. Includes the mute swan (Cygnus olor) in the list of nongame bird species that may be taken or possessed at any time, until January 1, 2031. An act to amend Section 3801 of the Fish and Game
Code, relating to wildlife. AB 769, Wilson. Regional park and open-space districts. Makes numerous changes to the laws governing regional park and open-space districts (RPOSDs). An act to amend Sections 5500, 5538, 5540, 5540.5, 5549, 5563.5, and 5564 of, and to repeal Sections 5545.5, 5558.1, and 5563.7 of, the Public Resources Code, relating to parks. AB 899, Ransom. Beverage containers: recycled glass: market development. Authorizes the Depart- ment of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRe- cycle) to increase the cap on market development payments for glass beverage container manufactur- ers from $50 to $150 per ton and to expend $20 mil- lion per year from the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund (BCRF) for these payments. An act to amend Sections 14549.7 and 14581 of the Public Resources Code, relating to beverage contain- ers. AB 900, Papan. Environmental protection: 30x30 goals: land conservation: stewardship. Requires the Natural Resources Agency (NRA) to develop strat- egies to reduce barriers and increase support for stewardship of conserved lands, and requires NRA to collaborate with stakeholders, California Native American tribes, and relevant state agencies to pre- pare a section on stewardship as part of the 2027 an- nual report on progress made toward achieving the 30x30 goal. An act to add Section 71453 to the Public Resourc- es Code, relating to environmental protection. AB 996, Pellerin. Public Resources: sea level rise plans. This bill establishes an early consultation framework between a local government and the Cal- ifornia Coastal Commission (commission) prior to a local government’s submission of a local coastal pro- gram (LCP) or LCP amendment in order to facilitate commission certification of the LCP or LCP amend- ment, including to meet sea level rise planning re- quirements, as provided. An act to amend Section 30985 of, and to add Sec- tion 30985.7 to, the Public Resources Code, relating to coastal resources. AB 1046, Bains. Short-lived climate pollutants: recovered organic waste product: agricultural crop preparation service. This bill exempts food process- ing establishments that have not historically dis- posed of organic waste in a landfill from specified organic waste management requirements. An act to add Section 42652.7 to the Public Re- sources Code, relating to organic waste. AB 1056, Bennett. Gill nets: permits. This bill au- thorizes, on or after January 1, 2027, a set gill net permit holder to transfer a permit only to a family member once, and prohibit any further transfer of that permit, as provided. An act to amend Section 8681.5 of the Fish and Game Code, relating to commercial fishing. AB 1139, Rogers. California Environmental Quali- ty Act: exemption: public access: nonmotorized rec- reation. Expands an exemption from the California Continued on page 88
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