By Jorge Casuso

June 23, 2026 -- A stripped-down version of a controversial bill that originally exempted Santa Monica from most Coastal Commission permits, including housing, will get its first Senate hearing today.

AB 1740, which applies mainly to the beach city, was amended on June 15 to exclude a key provision that exempted multi-unit housing projects proposed near the Downtown from the Coastal Act if a Local Coastal Program (LCP) for the city is not certified by July 1, 2029.

The provision had been added to the already heavily amended bill as an incentive for the City and Coastal Commission to come up with a plan that gives Santa Monica greater authority over projects in its coastal zone.

Instead of penalizing the parties for failing to reach a deal, the most recent version prioritizes the City for State funding if it "submits to the commission a complete, proposed local coastal program" by December 31, 2027.

The Commission would have 45 days to provide feedback and suggest modifications. The two parties then have six months to agree on the modifications, unless the City asks for an extension.

Assembly member Rick Zbur, who authored AB 1740, has radically amended the bill co-sponsored by the City and the pro-housing development group Streets for All after rising opposition from Santa Monica groups.

Previous versions of the bill have been opposed by Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights (SMRR), the local Democratic Club, Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City (SMCLC), local neighborhood associations and numerous environmental and coastal advocacy groups, including Heal the Bay, the Sierra Club and the Surfrider Foundation.

In a press release announcing the latest amendments, Zbur said AB 1740 now "establishes a statewide, streamlined process for approving bike, pedestrian, and transit improvements that enhance public access to and within the coastal zone."

It also produced "a breakthrough agreement" between the City and Coastal Commission that creates "a clear path toward a certified Local Coastal Program (LCP)."

"AB 1740 started an important conversation about how we protect California's coastline while ensuring our coastal communities can thrive," said Zbur.

The bill that is now supported by the Coastal Commission, he said, evolved from "a proposal to address permitting challenges" into a collaborative agreement that "demonstrates that ambitious legislation can create the momentum needed to solve problems that have gone unresolved for years."

The agreement -- which was the result of negotiations accelerated by mounting opposition to the bill -- represents "a real win for Santa Monica," said Mayor Caroline Torosis.

"After months of good-faith work with the Coastal Commission, we have a clear and accountable path to a certified Local Coastal Program, one that lets our community make more of its own permitting decisions while keeping California’s strong coastal protections and public access fully intact,” Torosis said.

“That means a more predictable process for the housing, mobility, and public space investments our residents are counting on.”

Opponents of AB 1740 had a vastly different take on the morphing versions of the bill that will go before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water at 9 a.m. today.

The Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City (SMCLC) credited "mounting opposition and outrage over our City's secret sponsorship" of the bill for forcing the City and Zbur "to back down and leave the Coastal Commission's jurisdiction intact."

"We’re happy to report that, thanks to you, all the verbiage in AB 1740 that would have given control of our coastal zone to our hyper-development City Council has been removed," the Coalition wrote in an email to supporters Monday.

AB 1740, the slow-growth group said, "was an attempt by well-funded developers, working hand in glove with politicians, to test whether they could sneak through narrowly targeted legislation that would kneecap the Coastal Commission."

"In what Council leaders are now spinning as a 'victory,' they didn’t get the most important thing they wanted. Instead, Santa Monica will have to craft a coastal plan WITH public input -- something it did NOT do with AB 1740."