A California Congressman has written the Trump administration a letter asking it to lop off a segment of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, saying that many local public officials were against designating it a monument from the start and that the Obama administration, which made the designation, didn’t do its due diligence in talking to local leaders about concerns.
Rep. Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) wants to remove a finger of the monument designation that spans just shy of 5,000 acres and stretches into the San Bernardino National Forest. He argues that this portion of the monument was heavily opposed by local leaders concerned it would move in on local economic activity. He specifically mentioned the Mt. Baldy Ski Lifts, which lie right outside the monument border. Supporters of the monument argue that’s not the case, and that years of meetings took place before the Obama administration moved forward with the designation.
Do you agree with the proposal to shrink the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument? What about the status of California’s other national monuments in the wake of the Trump administration’s review of monument designations under President Obama?
AirTalk invited Congressman Paul Cook to participate in our discussion but his office did not respond to our requests.
Guests:
Amy Granat, managing director of the California Off-Road Vehicle association
Judy Chu (D-Pasadena), Congresswoman representing California’s 27th District, which includes Pasadena, Alhambra, Monrovia and much of the Western San Gabriel Valley
Daniel Rossman, senior regional director in California for The Wilderness Society, a conservation organization working to protect America’s shared wildlands, and a member of San Gabriel Mountains Forever