Congressman Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, recently voted in support of an act in the House of Representatives to further protect Santa Clarita’s Rim of the Valley.

On Feb. 26, the House of Representatives passed the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act (PAW), an act that is an accumulation of bills from California, Washington, Colorado, and Arizona aimed at incorporating over 1.49 million new acres of public land as wilderness, and protecting an additional 1.2 million acres of public land from new gas, oil, and mining claims, including areas surrounding Santa Clarita.

“California is home to some of the most scenic nature preserves and hiking trails in America,” Garcia said. “It is vital that we do what we can to protect the land for generations to come. That is why I am proud to vote to protect Rim of the Valley from CEMEX and California’s disastrous High-Speed rail project.”

This act comes as a new installment in the protection of the Rim of the Valley, which has been an ongoing issue for Santa Clarita residents and legislators. In February of 2020, the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act passed in the House of Representatives, successfully adding more than 191,000 acres of land to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA).

These new bills which make up PAW were officially passed in the House on Feb. 26, and in California specifically will protect 985 square miles of public land as wilderness, protect 406,00 new acres of land including the expansion of the SMMNRA to include the Rim, protect 684.5 miles of rivers and streams, and improve management of the parks and wilderness.

This act passed relatively quickly through the House, as many of these bills have already had their own hearings and debates. 42 of the 52 Californian representatives, including Santa Clarita’s own Mike Garcia, voted in favor of the package of bills.

Officials say that the key in the continued success of the movement to protect the land surrounding the Santa Clarita Valley will be the support of Senator Dianne Feinstein in the Senate. The area stretches from the Simi Hills and Santa Susanas to the Verdugos and on to the San Gabriel Mountains, a portion of the proposed land lying within the southern section of the Santa Clarita Valley.

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