What SJR 12 does
Relative to offshore drilling.
This measure would request that the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management hold public hearings in California on the proposed 2026–2031 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, prepare an environmental impact statement to accompany the program, and provide the public the opportunity to comment on a draft programmatic environmental impact statement for potential offshore oil and gas leasing in California. The measure would strongly and unequivocally oppose any new offshore drilling and declare unequivocal support for the current federal prohibition on new oil or gas drilling in federal waters offshore of the Pacific coast.
Summary from the Legislative Counsel's Digest of the chaptered text, August 11, 2026. Read the full text on leginfo.
How it got here
Senator Laird introduced SJR 12 on January 13, 2026, with coauthors Senators Allen, Archuleta, Arreguín, Ashby, Becker, Cabaldon, Caballero, Cervantes, Cortese, Durazo, Gonzalez, Grayson, Limón, McGuire, McNerney, Menjivar, Padilla, Pérez, Reyes, Richardson, Rubio, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Umberg, Wahab, Weber Pierson, and Wiener and Assembly Members Alvarez, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Connolly, Davies, Irwin, Lowenthal, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Rogers, Schultz, Stefani, Wallis, Ward, Zbur, Aguiar-Curry, Ahrens, Arambula, Bauer-Kahan, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Carrillo, Elhawary, Fong, Gabriel, Garcia, Gipson, Mark González, Haney, Harabedian, Jackson, Kalra, Krell, Lee, Nguyen, Ortega, Papan, Patel, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Rivas, Celeste Rodriguez, Schiavo, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Valencia, Wicks, and Wilson. The text was amended 1 time, and heard in 2 committee hearings before its final floor votes.
- Senate Floor, April 23, 2026: 27 ayes, 8 noes.
- Assembly Floor, August 3, 2026: 56 ayes, 13 noes.
Committee votes along the way:
- Senate Natural Resources and Water, March 24, 2026: Be adopted. Ordered to third reading, 5-1.
- Assembly Natural Resources, June 8, 2026: Be adopted. To third reading., 9-4.
Who supports and opposes SJR 12
The Assembly Natural Resources analysis dated June 5, 2026 lists 49 organizations in support and 0 in opposition. When Senate Natural Resources and Water first listed positions on March 20, 2026, the count was 43 in support and 0 opposed. By the Assembly Natural Resources analysis of June 5, 2026 it was 49 to 0.
In support: 350 Humboldt; 350 Santa Barbara; Active San Gabriel Valley; Azul; Bixby Residential, INC; California Coastal Protection Network; California Coastkeeper Alliance; California Environmental Voters; and 41 more.
Read the Assembly Natural Resources analysis.
What happens next
It was signed and chaptered on August 11, 2026 as Chapter 166, Statutes of 2026. Most provisions of a bill chaptered in this session take effect January 1.
The Governor can sign the bill, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Until the decision, sign and veto request letters are the remaining channel, and the Department of Finance's enrolled bill report carries weight on anything with a fiscal effect. If signed, most provisions take effect January 1, and implementation moves to the agencies named in the bill.
What it means for data center organizations
The work now is implementation: which agency writes the rules, when the comment period opens, and which obligations begin January 1. An organization that was not in the room for the bill can still shape the regulation, and the regulation is usually where the operating detail is settled.
The data centers group at Capitol Axis handles that for data center clients.
Questions about SJR 12
What does SJR 12 do?
This measure would request that the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management hold public hearings in California on the proposed 2026–2031 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, prepare an environmental impact statement to accompany the program, and provide the public the opportunity to comment on a draft programmatic environmental impact statement for potential offshore oil and gas leasing in California. The measure would strongly and unequivocally oppose any new offshore drilling and declare unequivocal support for the current federal prohibition on new oil or gas dril
Is SJR 12 law in California?
It was signed and chaptered on August 11, 2026 as Chapter 166, Statutes of 2026. Most provisions of a bill chaptered in this session take effect January 1.
Who supports and opposes SJR 12?
The Assembly Natural Resources analysis dated June 5, 2026 lists 49 organizations in support and 0 in opposition. Supporters include 350 Humboldt; 350 Santa Barbara; Active San Gabriel Valley.
What happens next with SJR 12?
The question now is implementation. The agencies named in the bill write the rules that decide what it means in practice, and those proceedings are open to comment.