LOCAL ELECTED LEADERS CALL ON CONGRESS TO PROTECT CALIFORNIA’S PUBLIC LANDS AND RIVERS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — 50 current and former elected leaders from communities across California have signed a letter urging the U.S. Senate to pass the PUBLIC Lands Act (S.1459). 

The PUBLIC Lands Act, championed by California Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein, would protect and increase access to more than one million acres of public lands and well over 500 miles of rivers throughout California spanning three regions: key forests and rivers in Northwest California, the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument on the Central Coast, and the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles. Companion legislation introduced by Representatives Salud Carbajal, Judy Chu, and Jared Huffman has already passed the U.S. House.

“The neighborhoods that I represent in eastern Los Angeles County lie within the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains, whose iconic ridges provide Angelenos with 70% of our available open space,” said Los Angeles County District 1 Supervisor Hilda Solis. “But there is much more work to be done to ensure the San Gabriel Mountains remain protected for future generations. I’m proud to support the PUBLIC Lands Act, which would expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument by more than 100,000 acres, establish a new National Recreation Area in the San Gabriel Valley, and help increase access to nature for millions of Angelenos.”

The signatories of the letter, listed here, include state and local elected officials representing Northwest California, the Bay Area, the Central Coast, and the Los Angeles region. These elected officials support the PUBLIC Lands Act because it would be a key step forward in ensuring equitable access to public lands for local communities, and supports public health and economic recovery. The legislation is also critical to the state’s work to address climate change, build resilience, and protect 30% of lands and waters by 2030.

“Communities like Eureka benefit when people come to visit northwest California’s spectacular public lands and rivers — visitor spending in the region exceeded $1 billion in 2019,” said the Mayor of Eureka, Susan Seaman. “We in the region greatly appreciate the House again moving to protect and restore some of our region’s most cherished landscapes, and we look forward to the Senate following suit.”

The PUBLIC Lands Act includes protections for the following places: 

• Protection of public lands and rivers in Northwest California, including in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity counties. This includes protecting about 317,000 acres of public lands as wilderness, designating 379 miles of new wild and scenic rivers, requiring management plans for an additional 101 miles of existing wild and scenic rivers. 

• Protection of special places in the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument, located in the Central Coast region. This includes approximately 288,000 acres of wilderness, two scenic areas encompassing 34,882 acres, and 159 miles of wild and scenic rivers. This would be the first wilderness protection on the Central Coast in twenty years, and is particularly important as many of these areas are currently under threat from extractive industries. It also includes the designation of a 400 mile-long trail, the Condor National Scenic Trail, which would connect the northern and southern portion of the Los Padres National Forest by a single hiking route. 

• In the Los Angeles area, the bill would expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument by over 109,000 acres to include the western Angeles National Forest. The bill would also designate over 30,000 acres as protected Wilderness and over 45 miles of Wild and Scenic rivers throughout the San Gabriel range. Finally, the bill would also establish a National Recreation Area in the San Gabriel Valley.

"I enthusiastically and wholeheartedly support the PUBLIC Lands Act,” said Santa Barbara County Supervisor District 3 Joan Hartmann. “This landmark piece of legislation incorporates Congressman Carbajal’s Central Coast Heritage Protection Act and would protect Santa Barbara County’s wild lands and enhance our trails in perpetuity. The 400-mile Condor Trail through the Los Padres National Forest (from LA to Monterey) really captures the imagination. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Senator Feinstein, Senator Padilla, and Congressman Carbajal for sponsoring and shepherding this critical wilderness protection legislation.”  

Elected leaders can still add their name to the letter of support here. 

Photos of relevant landscapes are available for use here.