Surfrider: Governor Newsom Signs Legislation to Strengthen Protections Against New Offshore Drilling

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1448 (Hart), the California Coastal Protection Act, into law. This legislation closes a loophole in state law that could have allowed existing oil and gas infrastructure in state waters to support new drilling in federal waters off California’s coast. This victory comes at an important time: in late 2025, the Trump Administration proposed new federal oil and gas leases along the entire length of California’s coast, reversing decades of protections established in the wake of the catastrophic 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. The proposal threatens California’s coastal communities, fishing industries, tourism economy, and marine habitats with the first set of offshore drilling leases in decades. Learn MORE.