By Rachel Carton, SanDiego350 Legislative Team Member
Welcome to the 2026 legislative review! You may have seen the bills we supported on our blog, but how did we select them, what happened to them, and what did we learn this session?
How the Legislative Team Works
SanDiego350’s Legislative Team is one of many teams working toward our organization’s mission: to stop the fossil fuel industry and create a just and sustainable world.
We meet monthly to review legislation, research bills, sign support letters, and advocate with elected representatives for our communities and the environment. This cycle, we reviewed over 60 bills and wrote or signed letters registering our support for each bill.
So, how do we decide which bills deserve our support?
We Use Our Legislative Priorities
- Keep fossil fuels in the ground
- Protect vulnerable populations
- Expand access to local, affordable, renewable energy
- Reduce tailpipe emissions and support mass transit
- Promote the decarbonization of buildings
These priorities reflect San Diego’s key challenges: high energy costs, the need to expand public transit, and increasing climate-related risks from extreme weather.
We evaluate bills against these priorities and consider how we can have the biggest impact in improving life for San Diegans and protecting our environment.
The Results: Which of our Priority Bills Made It Through?
Here’s a quick overview of how things shook out!
Bills That Became Law
- AB 2313: Prioritize electrification over new gas infrastructure
- AB 2157: Support workers through the clean energy transition
- AB 1642: Protect communities after wildfires
- AB 1448: Limit offshore oil expansion
- AB 1738: Remove barriers to clean energy
- AB 2175: Expand access to microgrids
- SB222: Streamline home electrification
- SB 886: Ensure data centers pay their fair share
- SB 868: Expand access to plug-in solar
- SB 327: Protect utility ratepayers
- SB 905: Improve utility accountability
- SB 913: Strengthen distributed clean energy
- SB 1168: Ensure data centers pay their fair share
Bills That Did Not Become Law
- AB 1790: Close corporate tax loopholes
- AB 2461: Hold oil companies accountable for cleanup
- AB 1813: Expand community renewable energy
- SB 954: Restore environmental review protections
- SB 1259: Ensure refinery cleanup
- SB 943: Create fair utility cost structure for large users
A Few Wins Worth Highlighting
SB 886: Ensuring data centers pay their fair share
This bill requires regulators to evaluate the grid impacts of data centers and prevent utility customers from subsidizing infrastructure for these facilities.
SB 868: Expanding access to plug-in solar
This bill offers households another way to access renewable energy, making it easier for more Californians, including renters and apartment residents, to benefit from solar power.
A Few Bills We Didn’t Get Across the Finish Line
AB 1790: Closing corporate tax loopholes
This bill would have closed a major corporate tax loophole, with an estimated $3 billion in annual revenue that could help fund schools, health care, nutrition assistance, and climate programs.
SB 954: Restoring environmental review protections
This bill would have reversed an exemption adopted the previous year under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), restoring environmental review protections for communities near industrial development.
Why Did Some Bills Pass While Others Failed?
The answer is complicated, but one issue has dominated political debate: affordability.
With rising living and housing costs, energy prices strained by global conflicts, and midterm elections approaching, affordability is a growing priority for lawmakers.
While environmental policies offer cost savings and health benefits, these sometimes face resistance due to upfront costs and industry changes.
Corporate lobbying, campaign contributions, and public misinformation also play a significant role, as utilities, big oil and the building industry may pressure policymakers to weaken environmental protections or threaten to move investments elsewhere if California sets new requirements.
These pressures create a persistent challenge: policies that would benefit San Diegans may still face resistance when they conflict with the profits and financial interests of powerful industries. The Governor vetoed some good bills this year.
Your Voice Matters: How You Can Help Shape Legislation
Legislation is always evolving, and getting the right bills passed takes more than the work of elected officials and professional lobbyists; It takes all of us.
You don’t need to be a policy expert to make a difference. A face-to-face meeting, a phone call, or a thoughtful message can bring attention to an issue and influence how a legislator approaches a bill.
That’s a central part of what we do on the Legislative Team. We research bills, evaluate them against our priorities, meet with lawmakers, and advocate for San Diegans and the environment.
The legislative process can be slow, complicated and frustrating, but this year’s successes show that progress is possible. Feel free to join us in making it happen!