What an Expanded San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Means for our Communities

In my time representing Southern Californians in Congress, few moments have encapsulated how advocacy powers change as vividly as watching President Biden sign a proclamation to expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument last month. After working side-by-side with so many leaders and advocates for over 20 years to bring resources to the San Gabriel Mountains, I was proud to stand alongside Vice President Harris, other members of Congress, indigenous leaders and environmental champions in the Oval Office as the President expanded the boundaries of the monument by over 100,000 acres.

I was so overjoyed to continue the celebrations in California a few days later with many more environmental champions and community leaders. This is a fight I have been honored to be a part of for decades. Over the past year, I joined with my incredible Senate partner Senator Alex Padilla to emphasize to President Biden that, despite the natural treasures right here in our backyard, Los Angeles is among the most park-poor regions of the country. And even though we got President Obama to make history in 2014 by creating this monument, some of the most-visited areas and most significant natural and cultural resources in the western Angeles National Forest were left out. This meant that some of the busiest areas were left without the resources they needed to keep the park clean and safe for visitors.

We told President Biden that the western Angeles Forest is the most accessible part of the mountains for millions of people in Southern California and that this area includes rich cultural, historical and geological resources and habitats for endangered species. And we told him about our years-long effort to expand this monument through legislation that passed the House in bipartisan votes multiple times; and about the mental and physical health benefits associated with recreation and the outdoors, which far too many low-income Angelenos miss out on because they don’t have access to nature.

But more importantly, President Biden heard from Angelenos and Californians about what an expanded monument would bring to them. This is a grassroots movement that has worked for over two decades to bring more protections and resources to the San Gabriels. And on May 2, the President answered our calls and hosted us at the White House.

The good news didn’t stop there. The administration also announced millions of dollars in new investments in the monument! $2.5 million from the state Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, $2 million from the California Conservation Corps for six new forest rangers, and $2.3 million from the Great American Outdoors Act. My predecessor in Congress, Supervisor Hilda Solis, led the way with her national park study in 2003 and has persisted in her advocacy, securing an additional $1 million from LA County to Nature for All. All of this means more staff and rangers, better management, more trash cleanups and improved experiences for the millions of people who visit the San Gabriel Mountains. This is in addition to the $1.75 million in federal funding I secured in 2023 to support Nature for All’s Transit to Trails program that will allow everybody, of all income levels, to use mass transit to come to these mountains, and go all the way up to the Mt. Wilson Observatory.

Of course, our work together will continue as we make sure that more people get the chance to responsibly enjoy this national monument, experience its health benefits and ensure its good stewardship for generations to come. The past month brought us far closer to this reality.

Judy Chu is the U.S. representative for California’s 28^th congressional district.