Assembly Natural Resources Committee advances package of recycling, coastal conservation, wildfire and CEQA measures

The California State Assembly Natural Resources Committee met in Sacramento on Oct. 15, 2025, and debated a wide-ranging slate of bills on recycling, coastal conservation, wildfire response and land use. Committee members heard extended testimony and amendments on several measures and moved multiple bills to the next committee with votes or motions to pass as amended.

The day's most contentious policy debate centered on AB 823, a bill to restrict microplastic beads in certain personal care and cleaning products. Assemblymember (author) presented the bill as a follow-up to earlier state and federal restrictions on rinse-off microbeads and said AB 823 would extend restrictions to some non–rinse-off products to reduce plastic pollution and public-health exposure. Supporters, including the 5 Gyres Institute and Californians Against Waste, told the committee that microplastics are widespread in waterways and the human body and argued alternatives exist for many abrasive uses. Opponents, including the Personal Care Products Council and other industry groups, said the bill’s language (particularly subdivision c in the draft) was ambiguous and could unintentionally ban a broader class of microplastic ingredients for which viable substitutes may not exist today. Industry witnesses urged the committee to align definitions and exemptions with international regulatory pathways used by the European Union so manufacturers can transition to biodegradable or water-soluble alternatives.

On carpet recycling, AB 80 — offered as follow-up legislation to AB 863 — won broad support. The author and stakeholders said the measure would require CalRecycle to finalize regulations by January 2026, expand collection sites and tighten ingredient reporting and back-stamping standards to improve recyclability and program transparency. Carpet-industry and stewardship representatives, along with labor and environmental groups, testified in favor and said they were working toward final technical fixes.

AB 452 would create a voluntary process for local governments to seek official designation of “state surf reserves” to recognize and help steward California surf breaks. Assemblymember Erwin and witnesses from Save the Waves Coalition described the proposal as a locally driven, bottom-up approach that would allow communities to protect ecological and cultural values at renowned breaks such as Malibu and Mavericks. The bill’s supporters said designation would complement existing local coastal plans and the work of the State Coastal Conservancy, while committee members asked how the reserves would interact with the Coastal Commission and local plans.

Wildfire and public-safety bills drew sustained attention. AB 252, the “Stop Laying Off Firefighters Act,” was presented as a response to a year-round fire reality and would direct CAL FIRE to maintain year-round staffing rather than seasonal layoffs. The author argued the change would improve firefighter safety, allow more prevention work such as prescribed burns and vegetation management, and reduce response gaps. CAL FIRE local union speakers supported the bill, citing years of under‑staffing during nontraditional fire periods.

Several bills focused on planning, stewardship and post-disaster rebuilding. AB 900 would require the California Natural Resources Agency to produce a stewardship plan for lands conserved under the state’s 30-by-30 goals, clarifying stewardship needs and workforce and funding gaps. AB 317 proposed a limited CEQA and tax incentive package to encourage smaller, lower-priced single-family homes for first-time buyers; committee members encouraged the author to add guardrails to prevent misuse of the CEQA exemption. AB 738 proposed narrow CEQA relief for homeowners rebuilding after declared disasters, limiting the relief to households at or below median county income and to homes rebuilt to the same square footage as before the loss.

The committee also considered AB 619 to evaluate the Ventura Training Center program that trains incarcerated firefighter crewmembers. Supporters described the bill as a way to identify training and placement gaps so more graduates can transition to paid firefighting careers.

Votes at a glance (committee actions recorded during the hearing) - AB 80 (Carpet recycling reforms) — moved out of Natural Resources as amended to Appropriations (motion passed) - AB 452 (State surf reserves) — due-passed as amended to Appropriations (motion passed) - AB 823 (Microplastics in personal care/cleaning products) — due-passed as amended to Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials (motion passed) - AB 252 (Stop Laying Off Firefighters Act) — due-passed to Appropriations (motion passed) - AB 571 (Southern California Veterans Cemetery, CEQA exemption) — due-passed as amended to Military & Veteran Affairs (motion passed) - AB 687 (Public-agency fuel-reduction process / timber practice rules) — due-passed as amended to Appropriations (motion passed) - AB 317 (First‑time homeowner incentives/CEQA relief) — due-passed to Revenue & Taxation (motion passed) - AB 900 (30x30 stewardship planning) — due-passed to Appropriations (motion passed) - AB 619 (Ventura Training Center evaluation) — due-passed to Public Safety (motion passed) - AB 973 (Rigid-plastics recycling updates) — due-passed as amended to Judiciary (motion passed) - AB 1153 (Clarify CalRecycle illegal dumping grant uses, including abandoned RVs) — due-passed to Appropriations (motion passed)

Several measures drew specific technical questions or requests for additional amendment work. Notably, industry representatives urged continued negotiations on AB 823’s definitions and on the scope of allowed exemptions for coatings, fragrance encapsulation and other product categories. Committee members repeatedly urged authors and opponents to continue technical work to avoid unintended consequences while advancing the bills’ policy goals.

What’s next: Most of the measures advanced to follow-up committees (appropriations or policy committees) for further analysis, fiscal review or additional amendments. Authors and stakeholders were asked repeatedly to return with tightened language addressing the committee’s technical concerns.

Ending note: Committee discussion reflected the panel’s effort to balance environmental and public‑health goals with industry transition timelines, local planning authority and statewide implementation realities. Several authors committed to continued negotiations with impacted industries and agencies before the next hearing.