President Joe Biden announced Thursday he has expanded the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument by nearly 106,000 acres.
The move will ensure that more than 15 million people living within a 90-mile drive of the San Gabriel Mountains will have access to green spaces and open air. It will also protect around 50 rare plants and 300 local species.
The expansion will also ensure that communities of color have greater access to green spaces and nature and protect one-third of L.A. County’s drinking water.
Rudy Ortega, the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians tribal chief, says 25% of enrolled members descend from one of three ancestral villages located in the mountains.
“That’s where it brings more value and meaningful to us because of that expansion to preserve and protect the natural setting of those areas,” Ortega said.
The expansion is the largest since former President Barack Obama designated a large swath of the mountain range as a national monument in 2014, but it left more than 100,00 acres of public lands unprotected.
California Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Judy Chu introduced legislation to expand the monument last year, but met roadblocks in a deeply polarized congress. That’s when the Los Angeles duo, along with conservation groups, began urging Biden to use the 1906 Antiquities Act to preserve the pristine mountains east of Los Angeles.
Chu, who represents the San Gabriel Valley, said advocates have been working on the expansion for nearly three decades.
“Los Angeles is amongst the most park poor regions of the country,” she told LAist. “Underserved communities without access to green space miss out on] the proven mental and physical health benefits associated with recreation and the outdoors. That’s why I’m so happy that this…
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