Leaders from the Ocean Protection Council (OPC), the California Coastal Conservancy and the Department of Fish and Wildlife told the Assembly Budget Subcommittee that Proposition 4 funds will support a range of coastal resilience activities, including sea‑level rise planning grants, kelp and marine habitat restoration, Baylands restoration and a fisheries‑focused package to support monitoring and climate adaptation.

OPC and coastal grants

Caitlin Kalua, deputy director of the Ocean Protection Council, said OPC was proposed to receive $135 million over the life of the bond and that the agency had identified immediate priority projects in excess of $50 million for near‑term work. "We
nticipate that the number of applicants and the need for sea‑level rise planning and technical assistance will substantially increase in coming years," she told the panel.

Amy Hutzel of the Coastal Conservancy said the combined coastal and flood management and coastal resilience portions of Prop 4 total roughly $415 million, with an $85 million set‑aside for San Francisco Bay. The Conservancy proposed a modest FY25‑26 rollout (about 10 percent of total funds) to avoid overloading staffing and to prioritize shovel‑ready projects that can proceed with design, permitting and matching funds.

Fish and Wildlife priorities

Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, described a proposed $75 million Fish & Wildlife allocation in Proposition 4 and said the department proposed to focus on "climate‑ready fisheries" and monitoring. "We take 11, almost 12,000,000 and apply it to salmon monitoring and new technology," Bonham said, explaining requests for better tagging, telemetry and digital reporting to inform fishery management. He also said $5 million of a separate hatchery line item would help operate a new facility intended to support spring‑run Chinook projects on the San Joaquin.

Matilija dam removal and regional projects

The Coastal Conservancy described Matilija Dam removal (Ventura County) as a high‑priority project that requires preconstruction work such as levee and bridge adjustments and land acquisitions. The Conservancy said Proposition 4 funds will be administered through its existing grant programs and will emphasize multi‑benefit projects that integrate nature‑based solutions.

Legislative response

The LAO told the committee that the administration's slower FY25‑26 rollout for coastal resilience reflects legitimate capacity, staffing and project readiness constraints; the LAO endorsed the multi‑year approach but recommended continued monitoring so funds are spent on priority projects and leveraged with federal money where possible.

Ending

Committee members underscored the importance of timely implementation for projects tied to sea‑level rise and kelp restoration and asked agencies to coordinate closely with state parks, regional collaboratives and federal partners. Members also stressed transparency and annual reports for multi‑year appropriations.