Assembly BillIntroducedPublic Resources
AB 2373: The California Coastal Act: local coastal program: sea level rise plan: neighborhood-scale adaptation approach.
What AB 2373 does, verified May 16, 2026
This bill aims to enhance the California Coastal Act by allowing local governments to incorporate a neighborhood-scale adaptation approach into their local coastal programs and sea level rise plans. This approach enables the identification of areas and assets vulnerable to coastal impacts, as well as policies reflecting shared planning features and preferred adaptation strategies tailored to specific areas or development types. The goal is to minimize, mitigate, or avoid coastal impacts by considering geophysical and land use characteristics.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: In committee: Held under submission. (2026-05-14)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions8 total · showing 5
| May. 14, 2026 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| May. 06, 2026 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file. |
| Apr. 23, 2026 | Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Apr. 22, 2026 | Read second time and amended. |
| Apr. 21, 2026 | From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 20). |
Latest bill textAmended version, April 22, 2026 · 856 words
| Amended IN Assembly April 22, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2373
| Introduced by Assembly Member Dixon |
February 19, 2026 |
An act to add Section 30501.5 to the Public Resources Code, relating to coastal resources.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2373, as amended, Dixon. The California Coastal Act: local coastal program: sea level rise plan: neighborhood-scale adaptation approach.
The California Coastal Act of 1976 generally requires each local government lying in whole or in part within the coastal zone to prepare a local coastal program for that portion of the coastal zone within its jurisdiction. The act requires a land use plan of a proposed local coastal program to be submitted to the California Coastal Commission for certification. Existing law requires local governments lying in whole or in part within the coastal zone to, on or before January 1, 2034, develop a sea level rise plan with specified required content as part of a local coastal program that is subject to approval by the California Coastal Commission.
This bill would authorize local governments lying, in whole or in part, within the coastal zone to include a neighborhood-scale adaptation approach, as defined, when including land use policies and implementation measures in their local coastal program or sea level rise plan. plan, as provided. The bill would authorize the neighborhood-scale adaptation approach to include, but not be limited to, the identification of areas and assets that are subject to the approach, as specified, and policies that reflect the shared planning features and specific preferred adaptation strategies for different areas or development types based on the geophysical and land use characteristics intended to minimize, mitigate, or avoid coastal impacts.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) Climate change is reshaping California’s coast, driving sea level rise, stronger storm surges, increased flooding and coastal erosion, and habitat loss. These changes put public health and safety, critical infrastructure, homes and communities, public access, and coastal economies and ecosystems at risk.
(b) Senate Bill 272 (Chapter 384 of the Statutes of 2023) requires local governments lying, in whole or in part, within the coastal zone and local governments within the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission to develop sea level rise adaptation plans by 2034 and to seek approval of these plans from the state.
(c) In 2024, the Ocean Protection Council published the “State of California Sea Level Rise Science Guidance,” providing the best available science to guide state and local decisionmaking based on likely projections, ranging from 6.1 feet to 11.9 feet, in the highest risk scenario, of sea rise impact along California’s coastline by 2150.
(d) In 2025, the California Coastal Commission developed a white paper outlining the neighborhood-scale approach to coastal planning and held a public workshop to solicit stakeholder input.
(e) It is of utmost importance to support the development and advancement of tools to provide local flexibility for coastal adaptation planning while also maintaining consistent statewide application of the California Coastal Act of 1976 (Division 20 (commencing with Section 30000) of the Public Resources Code).
SEC. 2.
Section 30501.5 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:30501.5.
(a) A local government lying, in whole or in part, within the coastal zone may include a neighborhood-scale adaptation approach when including land use policies and implementation measures in their local coastal program or a sea level rise plan, pursuant to Section 30985,(b) A neighborhood-scale adaptation approach pursuant to subdivision (a) may include, but is not limited to, both of the following:
(1) The identification of areas or assets, including, but not limited to, a neighborhood or developed area, beach area, protected coastal resource area, site, or area with infrastructure or assets, that are subject to this approach. The identified areas may be of different types and sizes, including, but not limited to, a long stretch of rural coastline, a single beach, an area of development, a hydrologic feature or watershed, or a specific facility.
(2) Policies that reflect the shared planning features and specific, specific preferred adaptation strategies intended to minimize, mitigate, or avoid coastal impacts for different areas or development types based on the geophysical and land use characteristics. The strategies shall prioritize the use of nature-based solutions, including, but not limited to, beach and dune restoration, living shorelines, coastal wetland restoration, flood plain reconnection, and managed retreat.
(c) This section shall be implemented consistent with Sections 30500 and 30985.
(d) For purposes of this section, “neighborhood-scale adaptation approach” means an approach that allows local governments to identify and develop adaptation strategies that are specific to defined areas or assets within the jurisdiction of a local government that share characteristics, including geologic, land use, or other shared characteristics of an area, for focused adaptation planning to minimize and mitigate potential impacts associated with sea level rise.
Text of AB 2373 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions