Rep. Chu and Sen. Padilla Introduce Legislation to Protect More Wilderness in Southern California

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep Judy Chu (CA-28) introduced the San Gabriel Mountains, Foothills, and Rivers Protection Act of 2025, which would designate 35,335 acres of protected wilderness and 20.2 miles of wild and scenic rivers. In the Senate, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act, a package that includes identical companion legislation to Rep. Chu's.

"My district is fortunate to be home to the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains right in our backyard. But, as one of the most park-poor regions in the country, increasing access and expanding protections is critical. That's why I worked for years with community advocates and the Obama Administration to secure the designation of the San Gabriels as a national monument in 2014 - and why I continued pushing under President Biden to expand the monument's boundaries last year to better protect these lands and improve access for millions of Angelenos. Still, more work remains to protect the wilderness and rivers of the San Gabriels," said Rep. Chu. "I'm so proud to partner with Senator Padilla on his PUBLIC Lands Act, which includes my San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act, to preserve California's pristine natural spaces and ensure Californians can continue to access these spaces for generations to come."

In 2014, President Obama acted on Rep. Chu's call for permanent protection of the San Gabriel Mountains and declared 346,000 acres as a national monument. The monument designation has helped raise awareness of local recreational opportunities, promoted improved access, and encouraged greater availability of management resources, including enabling the U.S. Forest Service to leverage private-public partnerships to support the stewardship of the monument.

In 2024, following advocacy by Rep. Chu, Sen. Padilla, and dedicated advocates, President Biden expanded the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument by 105,919 additional acres to include the western Angeles National Forest-protecting the significant natural, cultural, and recreational resources in Southern California. This declaration was also followed by millions of dollars in new investments into the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument including new field staff, enhanced visitor engagement and interpretation resources, trash and pollution mitigation, and more.

The San Gabriel Mountains' rivers and natural spaces provide critical habitat for threatened and endangered species including the California condor, Nelson's bighorn sheep, and the Santa Ana sucker. Ensuring the wildlife and waters of the San Gabriel Mountains are protected is the next step to preserve these natural spaces for years to come.

"Our public lands and natural spaces are some of California's greatest gifts - from the Northern California Redwoods, to the Carrizo Plain, to the San Gabriel Mountains," said Senator Padilla. "As the Trump Administration tries to sell off our state's precious public lands and waters, we must protect and restore these areas to mitigate wildfire risk, reach California's conservation goals, protect our natural resources, and ensure generations to come can enjoy access to the outdoors. I was thrilled to see President Biden heed our calls to permanently protect the entire San Gabriel Mountains last year, and I urge my colleagues to pass this package to protect access to green space for millions of Californians."

"Thank you, Representative Chu, for advancing a decades-long vision to protect our San Gabriel Mountains," said Belén Bernal, Executive Director of Nature for All Coalition. "Designating more Wilderness areas and protecting special rivers as Wild and Scenic are important next steps towards achieving this goal. Over 18 million people live within a 90 mile radius of the San Gabriels and depend on these places for access to nature, time outdoors with family and friends, and tribal rituals and ceremonies, as well as for activities like hiking, swimming, picnicking, and more. We are grateful for your ongoing leadership to ensure that more Angelenos, especially historically underrepresented communities, can enjoy access to these beloved places now and into the future."

The San Gabriel Mountains, Foothills, and Rivers Protection Act of 2025 is endorsed by: CalWild, The Wilderness Society, and Nature for All Coalition

Full text of the San Gabriel Mountains, Foothills, and Rivers Protection Act of 2025 can be found here.

This bill is cosponsored by Reps. Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Salud O. Carbajal (CA-24), Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr (CA-31), Laura Friedman (CA-30), John Garamendi (CA-08), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Mark Takano (CA-39), Maxine Waters (CA-43).