California Climate Bills 2026: Priority Legislation Tracker
California Environmental Voters is currently tracking 24 priority climate, energy, water, democracy, and insurance bills in the 2026 California legislative session. We support 23 of them and oppose one. This page lists every bill, what it would do, where it stands, and how you can weigh in.
Last updated: September 21, 2026
Tell Governor Newsom to sign climate solutions into law
Governor Newsom has until September 30 to sign or veto more than two dozen top priority climate bills. They’ve already passed through the California legislature—sign your name to make sure he signs them into law.
All 2026 priority bills at a glance
| Bill | What it would do | Status | Our position |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB 28 | Make landfill operators act fast to prevent health risks from overheating that releases toxic gas | Signed into law | Support |
| AB 40 | Require environmental review of large coal storage and export facilities | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| AB 1448 | Block new construction tied to federal offshore oil leases and strengthen rules for restarting old drilling sites | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| AB 1661 | Direct cash help for families near the Inglewood Oil Field with a child who has a respiratory condition | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| AB 1813 | Expand affordable community solar and energy storage options to renters and apartment residents | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| AB 1891 | Fund prescribed and cultural burns to prevent catastrophic wildfire | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| AB 2218 | Require state water agencies to include tribes in water decisions | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| AB 2253 | Ban misleading recycled-content claims on packaging | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| AB 2313 | Let homeowners use redirected utility funds to go electric instead of replacing gas lines | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| AB 2383 | Make new data centers build clean power onsite and cover their own grid costs | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| SB 193 | Direct GGRF climate funds to transit, clean air, housing, and wildfire safety | Signed into law | Support |
| SB 878 | Require home insurers to pay wildfire claims on a clear, enforceable timeline | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| SB 886 | Stop everyday utility customers from subsidizing data center power use | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| SB 905 | Cut electricity bills by lowering the amount ratepayers cover for utility grid upgrades | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| SB 1085 | Keep water supply checks in the approval process for big developments | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| SB 1098 | Make utilities get spending approved before charging customers | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| SB 1125 | Create a statewide assistance program for low-income water bills | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| SB 1164 | Stop voter dilution, suppression, and discrimination and let Californians enforce voting rights in state court | Signed into law | Sponsored |
| SB 1213 | Bring price transparency to zero-emission trucks | Signed into law | Support |
| SB 1268 | Write Outdoors for All park access goals into state law | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| SB 1301 | Give homeowners more warning and clearer reasons before insurance is canceled or reduced | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| SB 1359 | Stop ratepayers from funding gas pipelines if there's a viable electric alternative | On the Governor's desk | Support |
| SB 1360 | Guarantee translated ballot materials for limited-English voters | Signed into law | Sponsored |
| SB 1392 | Exempt pre-1986 "collector" cars from smog check | Signed into law | Oppose |
Wildfire prevention, forests, and public lands
California’s forests, wetlands, and open space are a first line of defense against fire, flood, and extreme heat, and the communities with the least access to them are often the most exposed. Protecting these natural resources stores carbon, filters water, cools neighborhoods, and brings California closer to its 30×30 goal of conserving 30% of the state’s lands and coastal waters by 2030.
AB 1891 (Connolly): Fund prescribed and cultural burns
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. Controlled burning is one of the most effective tools for preventing catastrophic wildfire. AB 1891 would dedicate at least 10% of eligible CAL FIRE grant funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to beneficial fire practices, with at least a quarter of that going to California tribes and Indigenous-led organizations to sustain traditional cultural burning land stewardship practices.
Read more: The Solution to Wildfires Is… More Fire? →
SB 1268 (Gonzalez): Park access for everyone
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. Access to outdoor recreation shouldn’t depend on your zip code. SB 1268 would write the state’s Outdoors for All initiative into law, aligning California’s 30×30 conservation goal with a commitment to reduce the barriers that keep people out of public lands.
Home insurance and wildfire recovery
Wildfire risk has pushed insurers to cancel policies, raise premiums, and delay claims. These two bills set basic rules for how homeowners get treated before and after a disaster.
SB 1301 (Allen): More warning before you lose coverage
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. SB 1301 would require insurers to give homeowners significantly more notice in plain language with specific reasons before cancelling, nonrenewing, or reducing coverage. It gives you time to fix the problem and keep your policy, limits certain grounds for nonrenewal, and requires the state to publish nonrenewal data by region.
SB 878 (Pérez): Get paid on time after a fire
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. Families rebuilding after wildfires and other disasters routinely wait months for claims to close. SB 878 would put enforceable deadlines on residential property claims and require insurers to pay the undisputed portion on time, even while the rest of a claim is still being worked out.
Lower energy bills and utility accountability
Californians’ electricity rates have climbed far faster than inflation, and more than 2 million households are behind on their bills. These bills go after the reasons why.
SB 905 (Becker): Lower the cost of grid upgrades
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. Utilities borrow money to build and upgrade the grid, then pass the borrowing costs to customers. SB 905 would require state regulators to look at cheaper financing options and to consider reducing the profit utilities earn on certain projects so consumers aren’t forced to foot the full cost. It builds on SB 254 (Becker, 2025), a priority bill signed into law last year.SB 1098 (Pérez): Approve utility spending before the money is spent
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. Utilities hold more than 100 special accounts that work like credit cards—they spend first, then ask regulators to let them recover the money from customers afterward. SB 1098 would move those decisions into the regular rate-setting process, where the spending gets reviewed before it lands on your bill.SB 886 (Padilla): Make data centers pay their own power costs
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. Data centers used about 4.4% of all U.S. electricity in 2024, and the number is climbing fast. SB 886 would create a separate rate structure so their demand doesn’t get subsidized by ordinary customers, and require them to fund clean energy. We support the bill and want it stronger so that data center regulations include clean energy requirements. It moves as a package with AB 2383.SB 1359 (Stern): Stop building gas pipelines we won’t need
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. When gas utilities build new infrastructure, customers pay for it for decades, even if demand falls and the pipes sit unused. SB 1359 would require regulators to forecast gas demand independently instead of taking utilities’ word for it, require utilities to show electric alternatives won’t work before building, and put decommissioning costs on shareholders rather than ratepayers.AB 1813 (Ward): Community solar for renters
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. Rooftop solar savings mostly go to homeowners, leaving out renters and underserved communities. AB 1813 would expand community solar paired with battery storage, so renters and apartment residents can buy into local clean power without installing anything. More than 20 states already run programs like this.AB 2313 (Berman): Help switching from gas to electric
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. When a home’s aging gas line is due for replacement, the utility pays to replace it. AB 2313 would let the utility offer that money to the homeowner as an incentive to switch to electric appliances instead. It’s safer, and it means the rest of us aren’t paying to rebuild fossil fuel infrastructure we’re trying to retire.AB 2383 (Zbur): Build clean power for the data centers we’re adding
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. Every new data center on the grid means new electricity generation somewhere, and it should be clean. AB 2383 would give data centers an incentive to build zero-emission power onsite, so growing demand is met with new clean energy instead of fossil fuels. It also makes data centers responsible for the cost of energy generation and distribution instead of everyday Californians, and protects households if a facility leaves before its first 10 years are up. It moves as a package with SB 886.Cleaner air and less toxic pollution
California has some of the worst air quality in the country, and federal protections are being rolled back. These bills keep state standards moving in the right direction to protect public health and clean air.
AB 40 (Bonta): Review coal facilities before they’re built
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. California has no coal mines and no coal power, but coal still moves through California communities by rail and ship, exposing residents to fine particulate matter and heavy metals. AB 40 would require facilities handling five million tons of coal a year or more to go through full environmental review before being built or expanded.
AB 28 (Schiavo): Landfill safety
Status: Signed into law. Support. When underground landfill temperatures climb past 131°F, chemical reactions can release toxic gas into nearby neighborhoods—as happened at Chiquita Canyon Landfill in 2022. When temperatures stay elevated for more than 60 days, AB 28 would require operators to notify the public, submit a corrective plan, and work with agencies, with penalties for those who don’t.
AB 1661 (Bryan): Direct help for families near the Inglewood Oil Field
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. AB 1661 would send the first $5 million from the Equitable Community Repair and Reinvestment Account directly to families living within 2.5 miles of low-production oil wells like the Inglewood Oil Field who have a child with a respiratory condition. This direct cash assistance would address the immense environmental and public health harm that these communities have endured from nearby oil drilling.
AB 1448 (Hart): No new infrastructure for offshore drilling
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. AB 1448 would extend California’s ban on new construction tied to federal offshore oil leases, require a two-thirds vote to extend or modify existing drilling agreements, mandate the safest available technology for moving oil onshore, and tighten the rules for restarting idle wells.
Read more: Oil Spills, Offshore Drilling, and Senator Adam Schiff’s Take →
SB 1213 (Reyes): Price transparency for zero-emission trucks
Status: Signed into law. Support. Fleet operators can’t plan a clean vehicle transition if they don’t know the costs. SB 1213 would bring standard price transparency to the medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicle market, giving buyers a predictable basis for decisions and unlocking private investment in cleaner freight.
SB 1392 (Cortese): We oppose this bill
Status: Signed into law. Oppose. SB 1392 would exempt cars from model year 1986 or earlier from smog check if they carry “collector vehicle” insurance. There’s no agreed definition of a collector vehicle, so the exemption is effectively open-ended. CARB data shows a 1982 model year car can emit nearly 100 times more smog-forming NOx than a 2025 model. The bill limits how far exempt cars can travel but includes no way to enforce that limit.
Safe, affordable water
Every Californian deserves access to clean, safe, and affordable water. These bills help to address California’s water crisis: ensuring families can afford the water services they depend on every day and preventing dangerous pollution before it contaminates drinking water sources.
SB 1125 (Menjivar): Help paying the water bill
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. Water bills have risen by 24% over the past five years in California, but only around half of California households are served by public water systems that offer low-income rate assistance. SB 1125 would create a statewide low-income water rate assistance program and fund, so access to drinking water and wastewater service doesn’t depend on which utility happens to serve your address.
SB 1085 (Durazo): Check the water supply before approving big developments
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. Water Supply Assessments are the reports that confirm a large project actually has water available long-term. As more projects get streamlined past environmental review, SB 1085 would keep those assessments in the process.
AB 2218 (Kalra): Tribal water rights
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. AB 2218 would require state water agencies to formally recognize and work to correct the harms California inflicted on tribes through state-sanctioned termination, removal, and forced assimilation, and to build meaningful tribal participation in water planning decisions.
Corporate accountability and voting rights
A healthy, fair democracy and climate justice go hand in hand. Climate progress in California relies on more than elected officials and grassroots advocates—it also requires reliable commitments and accountability from corporate leadership.
SB 1164 and SB 1360 (Cervantes): The California Voting Rights Act of 2026
Status: Signed into law. Sponsored by EnviroVoters. These two bills together make up the California Voting Rights Act of 2026, a response to the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision and other federal voting rights rollbacks. SB 1164 would work to stop vote dilution, suppression, and discrimination before they happen, and give voters the ability to enforce their rights in state court. SB 1360 would guarantee language assistance at the state level, expand the number of languages covered, and widen the range of election materials that must be translated. We sponsor both.
Read more: What is the California Voting Rights Act of 2026? →
AB 2253 (Boerner): Truthful recycling claims
Status: On the Governor’s desk. Support. Some companies claim to be using recycled content, when they’re really using misleading recycled content “credit” schemes in their marketing rather than actual recycled material. AB 2253 would prohibit that, so a label reflects what’s physically in the package to protect shoppers’ and businesses’ right to make informed, environmentally responsible purchasing decisions.
SB 193 (Budget Committee): Fund the climate programs that lower costs
Status: Signed into law. Support. California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund collects money from polluters and reinvests it in communities. SB 193 directs that money to public transit and clean transportation, affordable housing, community air protection, safe drinking water, and wildfire risk reduction. It also counts the fund’s interest income toward what’s available to spend starting next fiscal year.
Read more: How You Benefit from California’s GGRF — and Why It’s Under Threat →
Bills that didn't make it in 2026
Seventeen of our priority bills stalled or died this session. We’re listing them because what fails is as much a record of the Legislature’s choices as what passes—and we’ll fight to bring solutions like these back in coming years.
| Bill | What it would have done | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| AB 946 | Direct 30x30 conservation funding toward parks and green space in underserved urban areas | Held in Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 1603 | Phase out PFAS ("forever chemicals") pesticides | Amended; core provisions no longer in the bill |
| AB 1777 | Confirm the state's authority to limit "indirect source" pollution from ports, warehouses, and freight hubs | Did not advance on the Assembly floor |
| AB 1790 | Close the "Water's Edge" corporate tax loophole | Did not advance in Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 2302 | Require monthly heavy-metal testing of infant formula for toxic contaminants like arsenic and lead | Failed in Senate Environmental Quality |
| AB 2338 | Require utilities to justify rate increases that outpace inflation | Held in Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 2447 | Set deadlines and monitoring to phase out toxic nitrogen fertilizer pollution | Held in Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 2461 | Close the stock-swap ownership transfer loophole in oil well cleanup bonding | Held in Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 2494 | Manage state demonstration forests for restoration, not timber output | Vetoed by Governor Newsom |
| AB 2566 | Establish the Huron Hawk Conservancy in the Central Valley | Held in Assembly Appropriations |
| AB 2569 | Require new developments to account for wildfire, sea level rise, polluting entities, and other adverse environmental conditions | Held in Assembly Appropriations |
| SB 601 | Write federal Clean Water Act protections into California law after Sackett v. EPA | Held in Assembly Appropriations |
| SB 954 | Restore environmental review that 2025's SB 131 allowed polluting projects to bypass | Vetoed by Governor Newsom |
| SB 982 | Let the Attorney General sue oil and gas companies to recover climate disaster costs | Failed in Senate Insurance |
| SB 1075 | Require detailed, community-informed air pollution cleanup plans in the most polluted neighborhoods | Held in Assembly Appropriations |
| SB 1076 | Require insurers to offer and renew policies for wildfire-hardened homes | Failed in Senate Insurance |
| SB 1123 | Let agencies count a regulation's savings and benefits, not just its costs, in economic impact review | Did not advance out of Assembly Economic Development |
| SB 1259 | Require refineries to file cleanup plans and workforce impacts before closing | Did not advance out of the Assembly floor |
| SB 1282 | Assess California's need for vehicles that can send power back to the grid | Held in Senate Appropriations |
Anti-environment bills we helped stop
Six bills that would have weakened California’s environmental protections were held or defeated this session.
| Bill | What it would have done | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| AB 839 | Limit legal challenges to broadly defined "sustainable aviation fuel" projects, including ones using fossil fuels | Held in Senate Appropriations |
| AB 1436 | Exempt private trucks contracting with local governments from clean fleet rules | Failed in Senate Environmental Quality |
| AB 1704 | Allow up to a 10-year delay of California's building materials emissions law (AB 2446, 2022) | Held in Senate Appropriations |
| AB 2226 | Repeal the state ban on plastic produce bags in grocery stores | Did not receive a hearing in Assembly Natural Resources |
| AB 2748 | Exempt 100% affordable housing from updated EV charging requirements | Held in Senate Appropriations |
| SB 1039 | Narrow refinery fenceline air monitoring requirements | Held in Senate Appropriations |
Common questions about California's 2026 climate bills
When does the California Legislature vote on these bills?
Bills must pass both houses by August 31, 2026. Floor votes happen throughout August, and many of the most consequential ones land in the final week.
What happens after a bill passes the Legislature?
It goes to Governor Newsom, who has until September 30, 2026 to sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Most bills signed in 2026 take effect January 1, 2027.
What does it mean when a bill is “held in committee”?
It means the committee declined to advance it, usually without a public vote. Appropriations committees hold bills for cost reasons, but the decision is often political, not just fiscal. A held bill is dead for the session and has to be reintroduced next year.
What’s the difference between a bill EnviroVoters sponsors and one we support?
A sponsored bill is one we helped write and are actively driving. A supported bill is one we’re advocating for but didn’t originate. We sponsored three bills in 2026: SB 1164 and SB 1360 (the California Voting Rights Act of 2026), and SB 982 (the Affordable Insurance and Recovery Act, which failed to pass the Senate Insurance Committee in April 2026).
Where can I read the full text of a bill?
Every bill number on this page links to its official page at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, where you’ll find the full text, amendment history, analyses, and vote records.
How do I find out how my own legislator voted?
Our California Environmental Scorecard grades every state legislator and the Governor on their climate and environmental votes. Scores and full voting record from the 2026 legislative session will be available in early 2027. Look up your legislator’s 2025 score →
How we pick priority bills
Each year we evaluate hundreds of bills and select a short list of priorities. We take positions on many more bills than appear here—those votes are recorded in our annual California Environmental Scorecard. Our federal priorities are tracked separately, and last session’s bills are archived at 2025 Priority Climate Bills.
This page is maintained by California Environmental Voters, a 501(c)(4) climate advocacy organization. Bill statuses are updated periodically throughout the legislative session. Last updated September 21, 2026.