Natural Resources Committee advances package of bills on microplastics, wildfire staffing, carpets, surf reserves and veterans cemetery

The California Assembly Natural Resources Committee met in a hearing that moved 21 measures and advanced several substantive policy proposals to their next committees, with lengthy public testimony and cross‑bench discussion on health, wildfire response, recycling and public access to coastal and conserved lands.

Microplastics and consumer products (AB 823) Assemblymember Berner introduced AB 823 to narrow the sale of intentionally added plastic microbeads in some personal care and cleaning products, with phased deadlines in the bill text. The author said the measure targets particles that wastewater treatment cannot reliably remove and framed the change as a public‑health and environmental justice priority, listing proposed effective dates in the bill for phases of the ban. Supporters including researchers and environmental groups urged the committee to move the policy forward; industry representatives said the bill’s language created ambiguity (particularly subdivision (c) in the printed bill) about which polymer functions would be captured and warned that substitutes do not yet exist for many formulations.

Assemblymember Berner described the public‑health stakes: “Microplastics have been found in the lungs and the bloodstream, placental tissue, breast milk, and even the brain,” and urged members to act. Industry witnesses asked the committee to narrow or clarify the text to avoid unintended product withdrawals and to align any exemptions with international standards so producers can innovate toward biodegradable or soluble alternatives.

Carpet recycling reforms (AB 80) Assemblymember Aguiar‑Curry opened the hearing on AB 80, a follow‑up to AB 863 (2023), describing the bill as an update to California’s carpet recycling program. The bill would require CalRecycle to finalize regulations from last year’s law by January 2026, expand collection sites, strengthen back‑stamping and ingredient reporting, and improve governance of the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE). Cosponsors and industry representatives testified in support; multiple unions and waste and recycling groups also registered support in the hearing room. The author framed AB 80 as “strengthen[ing] carpet recycling in California by making key improvements” and asked the committee to pass the bill to appropriations.

Wildfire staffing and firefighter workforce (AB 252) Assemblymember Banes introduced AB 252, the “Stop Laying Off Firefighters Act,” asking CAL FIRE to maintain full staffing year‑round. Banes and firefighters described changing fire behavior and longer seasons as the rationale; a witness representing CAL FIRE local 2881 said the state’s old seasonal staffing model leaves dangerous gaps and that extending assignments is feasible because it primarily converts seasonal positions into year‑round roles rather than creating an entirely new cohort. Banes said, “There is no fire season in California. Fires are year round,” and urged the committee to move the bill for further consideration. The committee moved AB 252 to appropriations with a due‑pass recommendation from the chair.

Voluntary surf reserves (AB 452) Assemblymember Erwin asked the committee to accept committee amendments and advanced AB 452, which would direct the Coastal Conservancy to create application criteria and a process by which local governments could nominate surf breaks as “state surf reserves.” The measure is a voluntary, bottom‑up designation designed to recognize surf breaks as public resources for conservation, public access and tourism benefits. Donna Myers of Save the Waves Coalition testified in support; the League of California Cities noted it was working with the author on clarifying amendments.

Southern California Veterans Cemetery (AB 571) Assemblymember Quirk‑Silva requested and received a due‑pass recommendation for AB 571, a narrow bill creating a CEQA exemption and urgency clause to allow the Southern California Veterans Cemetery at Gibson Canyon (Orange County) to proceed. The author and multiple veteran organization witnesses described a decade of work and broad local support; county representatives said existing funding (state and county) is already set aside for early phases and the bill would remove a final barrier to permitting and timely construction.

Other highlights - AB 687 (Patterson) — the author sought a targeted change to allow certain public, publicly funded fuels‑reduction projects to follow existing timber/forest practice compliance pathways in order to reduce multi‑year CEQA timelines for small, community‑protecting projects. The bill drew both support and technical concerns from environmental groups; the author committed to continued work with stakeholders. - AB 619 (Ransom) — directed an evaluation of the Ventura Training Center program for incarcerated firefighters and asked CDCR and CAL FIRE to identify barriers to placement in the firefighting workforce after release. Supporters framed the program as a workforce and restorative‑justice pathway; the bill moved to Public Safety with a due‑pass recommendation. - AB 1153 (Bonta) — expanded CalRecycle’s illegal dumping abatement grant program to clarify that funds may be used to remove abandoned recreational vehicles (RVs) and to support enforcement strategies; local governments and counties supported the clarification and the bill moved to appropriations. - AB 973 (Hoover) — modernized California’s older rigid‑plastic packaging law so definitions and compliance match SB 54’s collection and producer‑responsibility framework; recycling industry groups supported the update while some manufacturer groups asked for alignment so the bill would not impose duplicative requirements in practice. The bill advanced to Judiciary as amended.

Votes at a glance The committee advanced multiple bills to the next committees (approximated descriptions below reflect the committee’s roll calls and chair recommendations recorded on the transcript): - AB 80 (Aguiar‑Curry) — carpet recycling reforms — moved to Appropriations as amended (due‑pass recommendation from the chair). - AB 452 (Erwin) — voluntary surf reserves — moved to Appropriations as amended. - AB 823 (Berner) — restriction on intentionally added microbeads in products — moved as amended to Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials (due‑pass recommendation from the chair). - AB 252 (Banes) — year‑round staffing for CAL FIRE — moved to Appropriations (due‑pass recommendation from the chair). - AB 571 (Quirk‑Silva) — Southern California Veterans Cemetery (CEQA exemption) — moved to Military & Veterans Affairs with a due‑pass recommendation. - AB 687 (Patterson) — streamline environmental compliance for certain public fuels‑reduction projects — moved as amended to Appropriations (due‑pass recommendation; stakeholders requested further technical work). - AB 619 (Ransom) — Ventura Training Center assessment — moved to Public Safety with a due‑pass recommendation. - AB 1153 (Bonta) — CalRecycle illegal‑dumping grant clarification (RVs) — moved to Appropriations (due‑pass recommendation). - AB 973 (Hoover) — rigid plastic packaging modernization to align with SB 54 — moved to Judiciary as amended.

What the hearing made clear Committee members and witnesses repeatedly emphasized two tensions: the urgency created by climate‑driven wildfire risk and the need to preserve environmental safeguards (CEQA and species/habitat protections), and the desire to accelerate recycling and producer‑responsibility initiatives while ensuring that legislative language does not unintentionally ban currently market‑critical products. Multiple authors pledged further technical consultations with stakeholders before later committees.

Ending Most measures advanced with committee amendments and due‑pass recommendations; several authors committed to continued stakeholder and technical work before subsequent committees. The hearing record shows active cross‑party engagement on the issues of wildfire preparedness, evolving recycling policy, microplastics and public stewardship of conserved lands.