SANTA MONICA, CA — A controversial attempt to create a special coastal review process for a Frank Gehry-designed Santa Monica development is dead for the year, Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur confirmed to Patch, ending an extraordinary late-session fight in Sacramento.
And Zbur had some choice words for the developer he believes was behind it.
"I think the developer would be crazy to think that this could succeed after what happened this year," Zbur told Patch. "So I hope that he would be rational and not try to push this again."
The proposed budget trailer bill language would have created a streamlined California Coastal Commission review process for qualifying Santa Monica housing developments if the city had not completed its long-delayed Local Coastal Program by Jan. 1, 2028.
But the proposal contained an extraordinarily specific requirement: A qualifying development would have to include a museum honoring Gehry, featuring his archives, designs, renderings or models, with authorization from the Gehry Living Trust or his estate.
Those provisions appeared tailored to developer Jeff Worthe's Gehry-designed Ocean Avenue Project in downtown Santa Monica. Asked whether he could unequivocally confirm that the language is dead for the remainder of the 2026 legislative session, Zbur's answer was simple: "Yes."
CalMatters first revealed that Gov. Gavin Newsom was pushing the proposal and later said the governor backed away from the effort amid opposition from lawmakers and environmental advocates.
The proposal's demise came days after Newsom publicly described negotiations over it as a "work in progress." But Zbur told Patch that he does not know how involved Newsom personally was in the effort to advance the language in the first place.
"This thing was floated clearly by the developer," Zbur said. "I don't know how much the governor himself actually knew about it."
Zbur said he personally spoke with Newsom, the governor's staff, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Rivas' chief of staff and the Assembly budget chair, making clear that he considered the proposal harmful and a bad precedent. When Zbur spoke directly with Newsom, he said, the governor listened.
"The governor and his team did not press back," Zbur said. "The governor listened. He said, 'Thank you very much. This is very helpful,' and that was it. It was a good conversation."
Zbur said the conversation left him optimistic the proposal would not advance.
"I appreciate the fact that he did not press this after he heard from me and others," Zbur said. "We obviously know this was being circulated by someone, and there was a draft in place. But as far as I know, I don't know whether the governor ever asked for it."
Zbur credited opposition from environmental groups and lawmakers with helping stop the proposal.
"I think the environmental community made their voice known. I made my views known in very clear terms, and the result of that is that this never moved forward," he said.
Zbur said he does not know the details of how the proposal made its way into Sacramento's closing negotiations. But he was unequivocal about who he believes was behind it.
"It's clear that the developer was behind this," Zbur said, while explaining that his conclusion was based on the language itself and that he did not know the details of how the developer advocated for it.
CalMatters reported that a Worthe-affiliated company spent $270,000 between January and June lobbying the Legislature and Newsom's office on Zbur's AB 1740 and other budget issues. Asked whether that disclosure changed his understanding of how aggressively the proposal had been pursued, Zbur said it did not.
"Mr. Worthe obviously has lobbyists in Sacramento that were very active in trying to help him," Zbur said.
CalMatters also reported that Worthe and his wife, Kristin, donated more than $274,000 to Newsom's campaigns and inaugural fund between 2018 and 2022. Newsom appointed Worthe to the California Privacy Protection Agency board in 2023 and the California High-Speed Rail Authority in 2025.
Patch contacted Worthe Real Estate Group seeking a response to Zbur's comments, but had not received a response by the time of publication.
The defeat leaves a separate path for resolving Santa Monica's unusual coastal permitting situation. AB 1740, Zbur's legislation developed after negotiations involving the city, Coastal Commission and other stakeholders, is now awaiting action by Newsom.
The measure establishes deadlines and other requirements intended to move Santa Monica toward completing its Local Coastal Program. Once certified, an LCP would allow most coastal development permits to be handled locally rather than requiring applicants to go directly to the Coastal Commission.
Asked whether he expects Newsom to sign it, Zbur was optimistic but cautious. "I believe that it has a good chance of getting signed because it's a good bill and it's really helping the city of Santa Monica obtain an LCP, and that's going to be something that's a positive thing for the city," Zbur said.
But, he added, "You never can tell until a bill is signed."
Asked whether Newsom or his staff had committed to signing AB 1740, Zbur said: "The governor never gives commitments on any piece of legislation."
As for whether the coastal carveout could return next year, Zbur said he hopes this year's defeat sends a sufficiently clear message. Reflecting on the fight, Zbur said he remained surprised by how the developer handled it.
"The fact that he would blindside the sitting Assemblymember in whose district what he was advocating for, and then expect me not to protect the community that I represent," Zbur said, adding, "I just think that was surprising and unfortunate."
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