Prevent New Loophole to Add Armoring Along California's Coast

Protect California's Beaches: Oppose AB 2373

California's coastline is disappearing. Scientists predict that sea level rise could erase up to 70% of the state's beaches — and a new bill moving through the Legislature could make things dramatically worse.

AB 2373, authored by Assemblymember Dixon, proposes adding "neighborhood scale adaptation" to the California Coastal Act. It sounds like a step forward for climate resilience, but buried in the fine print is a loophole that could open the door to a wave of new seawalls — at the expense of our public beaches.

Here's why that matters. The Coastal Act has protected California beaches since 1977 by limiting hard armoring — seawalls, revetments, and similar structures — to properties that already existed when the law passed. New developments are not allowed to build seawalls, because these structures accelerate beach erosion and privatize what belongs to all Californians.

AB 2373 would change that. By creating a "neighborhood scale" framework, the bill would allow new developments — currently prohibited from armoring — to connect into larger, contiguous seawall projects alongside older properties. In practice, this gives developers a workaround to a protection that has held for nearly 50 years.

The result? More concrete. Less beach. And a coastline increasingly managed for the benefit of private property owners rather than the public.

We strongly believe in planning ahead for sea level rise — but those solutions must be nature-based and designed to extend the life of our beaches, not sacrifice them. Hard armoring is not adaptation; it's a short-term fix that trades a public treasure for private gain.

Join us in urging legislators to oppose AB 2373. California's beaches belong to everyone. Let's make sure they stay that way.