On December 17, California’s U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff announced the reintroduction of a sweeping public lands package. The Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act would protect and restore over 1.7 million acres of California’s public lands throughout northwest California, the Central Coast, and Los Angeles County.
Specifically, the legislation would permanently protect more than 900,000 acres, including over 550,000 acres of new wilderness and nearly 700 miles of wild and scenic rivers. It would also authorize forest restoration and fire-resilience efforts on roughly 871,000 acres in high-risk areas of Humboldt and Trinity counties, aimed at improving water quality, reducing wildfire threats, and preserving outdoor recreation opportunities.
The legislation consists of three bills that have been reintroduced in the House of Representatives including:
- The Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act, which is led in the House by Representative Huffman (D-Marina). The bill would permanently protect 484,733 acres of public lands, and 479.8 miles of wild and scenic rivers.
- The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, which is led in the House by Representative Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara). The bill would permanently protect 385,842 acres of public lands, and 199.3 miles of wild and scenic rivers.
- The San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act, which is led in the House by Representative Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park). The bill would permanently protect 35,335 acres of public lands and 20.2 miles of wild and scenic rivers.
The package builds on prior efforts, including last year’s expansion of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, and advances California’s goal of conserving 30 percent of its lands and waters by 2030.
For more information, contact RCRC Senior Policy Advocate, Staci Heaton.