Setback For San Gabriel Mountains Monument Status

A county supervisor clashed with Rep. Judy Chu on Tuesday, over her efforts to designate the San Gabriel Mountains a national monument.

Supervisor Michael Antonovich proposed that the Board of Supervisors send a letter to Chu, D-Pasadena, the Obama administration and other Congressional delegates asking them to delay consideration of national monument status.

While the preservation of the San Gabriel Mountains is “a worthy goal,” Antonovich said, the county needed more information about how national monument status would affect property rights, flood control and firefighting efforts.

But Chu reminded the board that the proposed additional protections were “the result of an 11-and-a-half year effort to get resources to the San Gabriel Mountains.”

Antonovich’s call for a delay, she said, “rings an alarm bell when there is none.”

After Antonovich amended his motion, eliminating the request for sending letters, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to direct staffers to evaluate the possible effects and report back in 30 days.

Work to establish a National Recreation Area in the San Gabriel Mountains has been underway since 2003, when then-Rep. Hilda Solis called for a study of the idea. Solis will take over Supervisor Gloria Molina’s seat at the end of this year.

The designation of a National Recreation Area would provide federal protections and require the U.S. Forest Service to help repair trails, clean up graffiti and deploy park rangers to crack down on illegal activity like fires and camping.

Chu has championed the idea for years and, in June, introduced legislation to move the proposal forward. Congress must vote to approve any National Recreation Area.

Last month, the congresswoman took a different tack, calling on the Obama administration to declare the area a national monument, an action that can be taken by executive order without congressional approval.

Some residents and city officials, including Glendora Mayor Judy Nelson, objected at today’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

“No one in my city has a clear understanding of what this means,” Nelson said. “What is the rush?”

But advocates of national monument status agreed with Chu that the time to act was now.

“There are reams of documents, dozens of discussions,” said George Sanchez-Tello of San Gabriel Mountains Forever.

More than 60 meetings have been held with stakeholders to discuss the idea of a National Recreation Area, according to Chu.

However, the shift from NRA to monument caught some off guard.

“Our respective staffs are working right now to see if there are any differences,” Los Angeles County fire Chief Daryl Osby told the board. “But as of now, we don’t know.”

Supervisor Don Knabe said it was worth taking the time to do a detailed review, especially with respect to how the change might affect firefighting in wilderness areas.

“We have very significant input into this,” Knabe said. “We just need to be at the table.”

— City News Service