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AB 1153

Illegal disposal site abatement.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mia Bonta

AB 1153 broadens CalRecycle use of cleanup funds to remove illegal dumps and abandoned RVs, fund enforcement strategies and local teams, with priority to disadvantaged communities.

Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
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Bill Summary · AB 1153

AB 1153 — Solid waste disposal and codisposal site cleanup: illegal disposal site abatement

Author: Assemblymember Bonta
Status: In committee — hearing postponed (As of 2025-05-23)
Introduced: February 20, 2025
Classification: Bill; appropriation

Purpose / Intent

AB 1153 expands how the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) may use funds from the Solid Waste Disposal Site Cleanup Trust Fund for abating illegal disposal sites. The goal is to broaden allowable grant and expenditure uses to better address illegal dumping (including abandoned recreational vehicles) and to strengthen local enforcement capacity, with priority for disadvantaged communities.

Key changes / provisions

  • Amends Public Resources Code Section 48021 to modify program priorities and permissible expenditures by the department.
  • Authorizes CalRecycle to expend program funds (in addition to existing cleanup, loans, and partial grants) for:
    • Removal and disposal of recreational vehicles (defined by Health & Safety Code §18010).
    • Development of enforcement strategies.
    • Development of local enforcement teams and “illegal dumping enforcement officers” (defined by Penal Code §830.7).
  • Allows CalRecycle to provide grants to public entities for the above purposes.
  • Requires that when CalRecycle funds are provided to address illegal disposal in a jurisdiction, the local enforcement agency must provide ongoing enforcement to prevent recurrence.
  • Clarifies that activities to remove or abate solid waste from municipal storm sewers are eligible for partial grants if they fund cleanup/abatement and establish an ongoing prevention program.
  • Directs that, when implementing certain expenditures, the department shall prioritize projects in disadvantaged communities (per Health & Safety Code §39711).
  • Keeps existing authorities: department may expend directly, provide loans, and provide partial grants; direct cleanup of publicly owned sites only when the public entity lacks timely resources or expertise.
  • Because the bill authorizes new uses of moneys in a continuously appropriated trust fund, it is treated as an appropriation and requires a two‑thirds vote.

Who is affected

  • CalRecycle (Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery) — expanded spending authority and program design considerations.
  • Local public entities and enforcement agencies — potential grant recipients; required to maintain ongoing enforcement where funds are used.
  • Disadvantaged communities — prioritized for some grant-funded projects.
  • Residents and local governments confronting illegal dumping, abandoned recreational vehicles, and storm sewer pollution — potential beneficiaries of cleanup and increased enforcement capacity.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Introduced Feb 20, 2025; first reading same day.
  • Referred to Assembly Natural Resources (March 10).
  • Amended and read second time April 22; re‑referred to Appropriations; placed on suspense file April 30.
  • Committee hearing set but subsequently postponed (hearing postponed by committee as of May 23, 2025).
  • Digest notes fiscal committee review and 2/3 vote (appropriation).

Potential impacts / considerations

  • Provides CalRecycle and local governments additional tools and funding flexibility to address illegal dumping and abandoned RVs and to build local enforcement capacity.
  • Could increase state expenditures from the Solid Waste Disposal Site Cleanup Trust Fund, though the fund is continuously appropriated for program purposes.
  • Places an expectation on local enforcement agencies to sustain enforcement efforts after state-funded cleanup, which may require ongoing local resources or staffing commitments.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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