June 1, 2026
Pushed by our City Council and dutifully shepherded by Assemblymember Rick Zbur, Assembly Bill 1740 would carve out Santa Monica (and only Santa Monica) from Coastal Commission protection. Just four votes on City Council would then determine what could be built in our coastal zones — areas that have been protected for 45 years!
Our supposedly progressive City Council and Assemblymember wanted to make it easier for developers to build high-density, market-rate condos on our shoreline — condos only the rich could afford (there was no affordable-housing requirement!).
After an outcry from rightfully upset Santa Monicans, the bill was amended.
While the build-all-the-high-priced-condos-you-want provision has been removed, perhaps only temporarily, the amended AB 1740 now holds our coastline hostage to future negotiations between the Coastal Commission and our City. If, within a prescribed period, those two entities cannot agree on how much control our City should have over our coastline, the power to make that decision would be given exclusively to the City Council.
In other words, if developers and their elected advocates can slow the process so an agreement with the Coastal Commission isn’t finalized within a prescribed date, the Coastal Commission’s jurisdiction will be eliminated.
This is why the Santa Monica Democratic Club voted again to oppose AB 1740, even in its amended form.
The Coastal Commission is also against this amended version of this bill.
When those two groups, along with Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, and environmental organizations like Surfrider Foundation, line up against a bill, people who claim to be “progressive” — who claim to care about our coast — should not line up on the other side.
Unfortunately, AB 1740 has passed the Assembly. Assemblymember Zbur has failed us. More importantly, he’s failed our coast.
Now it’s up to State Senator Ben Allen.
Please contact Senator Allen today at Senator.Allen@senate.ca.gov
and tell him we don’t want our coastline held hostage to City and Coastal Commission negotiations — and possible City intransigence.
The California Coastal Commission is the premier agency tasked with protecting our shore. Our politicians should not be trying to undermine it.
