Senate Rules Committee forwards Zoe Heller for CalRecycle director, presses timeline to implement SB 54 regulations

The Senate Rules Committee unanimously moved Zoe Heller’s nomination to the full Senate on May 7 after questioning focused on the department’s timeline to implement SB 54 — California’s statute to reduce plastic pollution — and on CalRecycle’s role in wildfire debris removal and recycling of construction and organics materials.

Heller, who said she has worked at CalRecycle for nearly eight years and was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve as director, described her priorities as implementing landmark recycling legislation, fostering a circular economy, and making the department “thoughtful, transparent” in difficult decisions. “I’m honored to have been appointed by Governor Newsom to serve as the director of CalRecycle,” she said.

Committee members asked Heller to confirm a timeline for SB 54 rule‑making. Heller said the agency would finalize a new draft of the regulations, host a public workshop on May 27, submit a revised economic impact assessment by June, and — pending Office of Administrative Law review — aim to implement the regulations by the final quarter of the year. She said CalRecycle has already implemented related regulations and planned guidance documents to clarify covered material categories and to coordinate with the producer responsibility organization Circular Action Alliance.

Senators pressed Heller on practical implementation issues, including how the department would ensure regulations meet both the letter and spirit of the law while reducing costs on the regulated community. Heller said the department is using prior drafts as a template, reviewing sections (she specifically cited refillable/reuse provisions) for potential cost‑reducing edits while staying within statutory requirements. She described an ongoing “needs assessment” required by the statute to map current infrastructure and capacity and to propose a blueprint for meeting statutory rates and dates.

Lawmakers also discussed construction and demolition (C&D) materials and recycling after recent wildfires. Heller said CalRecycle’s role in disaster debris removal prioritizes recycling where safe and feasible and that, historically, the department has recycled metals, concrete, and usable wood from debris removal operations. She said CalRecycle has been mission tasked to clean up “almost 22,000 properties” since it began debris removal work (the department described that span as beginning in 2007) and emphasized the need to tailor debris responses to local conditions.

Heller described a budget change proposal (BCP) to study single‑use propane cylinders and asked for one senior environmental scientist position and contract funding to assess processing infrastructure, durability, and market needs; she told senators the BCP funding would not come from the general fund. She also said guidance documents similar to those used to implement AB 1383 (the organics diversion law) will be produced as needed to help the regulated community implement SB 54.

Public comment at the hearing included dozens of representatives from environmental groups, recyclers, local agencies, producers, and industry associations who expressed strong support for Heller’s confirmation and for rapid, transparent implementation of SB 54. Supporters included Ocean Conservancy, Monterey Bay Aquarium, California Product Stewardship Council, Circular Action Alliance, local waste agencies and haulers, and a range of industry and environmental organizations.

The committee voted 5‑0 to forward the nomination to the Senate floor.

What’s next: the nomination will be considered by the full Senate. Senators signaled continued oversight interest in the SB 54 regulation process, the needs‑assessment deliverable, guidance documents, and CalRecycle’s work on wildfire debris removal and recycling markets.