Audubon California’s 2026 State Legislative Priorities

Audubon California’s prime priorities on the state Capitol this 12 months embody making certain birds have the water and lands they want, celebrating fifty years of the California Coastal Safety Act, and growing entry to nature for all.

Defending Lands and Increasing Entry to Nature for all

Audubon California believes within the significance of entry to well-managed pure areas for all communities, whether or not for chook excursions, out of doors teaching programs, or the pure pleasure of experiencing nature. This session, Audubon California is sponsoring laws to make entry to nature extra equitable and supporting a number of payments to broaden protections and entry on open area throughout the state.

Audubon California is co-sponsoring SB 1268 (Gonzalez) to codify Governor Newsom’s Outdoor for All initiative, which dedicated to increasing entry to nature and its advantages for all Californians. Deprived communities and communities of colour disproportionately lack entry to protected locations to benefit from the outdoor and expertise nature. Audubon believes all California residents ought to have equal entry to understand nature and its advantages for our bodily and psychological well being.

One among California’s greatest mechanisms for safeguarding habitats and open area is our community of state-chartered conservancies. In 2024, Audubon helped set up the Salton Sea Conservancy and this 12 months we’re robust supporters of AB 1108 (Cabarello), which might set up the Grasslands Ecological Space Conservancy, AB 2216 (Aguiar-Curry), which might broaden the profitable Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, and AB 1548 (Pellerin), which might set up the Monterey Bay Space Stewardship Authority for the aim of land safety and increasing entry to nature in that area.

Audubon California stays extraordinarily involved about assaults on the California Environmental High quality Act (CEQA), one of many state’s foundational environmental legal guidelines. Based on the 2023 CEQA By the Numbers report, lower than two % of housing developments lead to CEQA litigation. Current changes to CEQA lately have additional relaxed assessment requirements for infill housing. Lately, housing builders have raked in document earnings (e.g., in 2024, two of California’s homebuilders, Lennar and the Pulte Group, posted document earnings of $3.9 billion and $ 3.08 billion, respectively). Audubon California is emphasizing to decision-makers that reasonably priced housing is feasible with out jeopardizing our shared atmosphere and the chance to weigh in on initiatives that have an effect on our communities.

Of specific concern is the latest CEQA exemption inserted into laws final 12 months that eliminated environmental accountability for superior manufacturing services. “Advanced manufacturing” includes computer chip manufacturers, which have left the Silicon Valley with more toxic Superfund sites than anywhere in the U.S., and data centers, which require immense amounts of water and electricity. Audubon is supporting SB 887 (Padilla) to take away an exemption for approval of information facilities in California and create an incentive in order that facilities meet environmental management improvement standards.

Making certain Water for Birds & Folks

Water and defending wetland habitats are all the time prime priorities for Audubon California. As a result of our state has misplaced over 90% of its wetland habitats since 1850, we’ve seen large declines in lots of wetland-dependent chook species such because the Western Sandpiper, Tricolored Blackbird, and Sandhill Crane. Current choices by the US Supreme Courtroom and different federal acts have additional diminished protections for wetlands and put dozens of chook species in danger.

To make sure birds have the wetland habitats they want, Audubon California is sponsoring Assembly Bill 929 (Connolly), formerly AB 828, which might exempt managed wetlands and small group water techniques from water allocation reductions beneath California’s Sustainable Groundwater Administration Act (SGMA). SGMA restrictions are already forcing managed wetland house owners to cut back their footprint and plenty of are anticipated to completely shut down. As soon as these wetlands go dry, birds shall be left with even much less habitat within the state and turn out to be much more weak to drought.

Audubon California can be serving to to guide a state finances request for $25 million from Proposition 4 to learn wetlands, refuges, and wildlife areas within the Central Valley and the Klamath Basin. The funded initiatives have been recognized by Audubon and its companions within the Central Valley Joint Enterprise as the very best, shovel-ready investments to assist wetland-dependent birds in California.

Audubon California can be supporting SB 601 (Allen), which supplies a state backstop to forestall water air pollution after latest rollbacks of protections beneath the federal Clear Water Act. Defending the amount and high quality of freshwaters is important for fish, birds, and future generations of Californians.

Celebrating 50 Years of Defending California’s Coast

California has over 3400 miles of shoreline, a lot of it residence to iconic and weak species such because the Western Snowy Plover, Surf Scoter, Marbled Murrelet, and Dunlin. Previous to the passage of the California Coastal Safety Act of 1976, the shoreline was exceptionally weak to unwise improvement and air pollution, corresponding to the massive 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara (that led to the creation of Earth Day). Audubon California is worked up to rejoice the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Protection Act of 1976 with advocacy and actions all year long, together with assist for state Meeting and Senate resolutions, ACR 149 and SCR 136 from Assemblymember Gregg Hart and Senator John Laird.    

“We’re thrilled to rejoice 50 years of the Coastal Act and the advantages it has delivered to guard California’s 1,100-mile shoreline, supporting tens of millions of birds alongside the Pacific Flyway,” stated Andrea Jones, Vice President of Audubon California. “Californians know our iconic shoreline is greater than a shocking view. Our coast helps important habitat for delicate shorebird species just like the Western Snowy Plover, helps guarantee coastal communities and guests alike can entry and luxuriate in nature, and helps wholesome coastal ecosystems that may buffer shoreline communities from the impacts of local weather change.”

Be part of Us This Legislative Session!

Past the precedence payments recognized right here, Audubon California tracks and engages on dozens of payments and state finances proposals via the legislative season. We welcome questions and collaboration from chapters and different companions enthusiastic about working collectively to assist birds and broaden entry to nature for everybody. You’ll want to be a part of our mailing checklist to remain within the know and up to date on upcoming alternatives to share your voice