U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) on May 22 reintroducted the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act, landmark legislation that would protect some of the last wild and open spaces in the Los Angeles area and allow the National Park Service to work with local communities to better protect natural resources and improve access to nature. The bill would add more than 118,000 acres to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and is based on an NPS study that was reported to Congress in 2016.

The Rim of the Valley stretches from the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains to the Verdugo and San Gabriel Mountains, making a “green belt” that encircles the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi and Conejo Valleys.

“The Rim of the Valley contains some of the last wild and open spaces in Los Angeles and connects our urban city centers and suburbs with the beautiful outdoors,” Schiff said. “This legislation will preserve the land and wildlife that millions of Angelenos enjoy. We must protect these natural treasures for future generations, so they too can experience the beautiful hiking, abundant wildlife, diverse ecosystem and significant historic sites found in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area.”

“The Rim of the Valley is one of Southern California’s most important natural treasures. We must protect these lands so that every Californian and American can enjoy them for generations to come,” Friedman said. “That’s why I’m proud to help lead the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act alongside Sen. Schiff. Not only will this legislation provide local communities with better access to our beautiful public lands, but it will ensure that we protect the natural resources and wildlife that call the Rim of the Valley home.”

The bill has been endorsed by Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife, Community Hiking Club, Friends of Griffith Park, Los Angeles Equine Advisory Committee, National Parks Conservation Association and Nature For All, among many other organizations.

In 2008, Schiff successfully led the passage of the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act, which directed the National Park Service to conduct a special resource study of the Rim of the Valley Corridor. The study sought to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating all or a portion of the Rim of the Valley Corridor as a unit of the existing area and how these areas could be better managed and preserved. The National Park Service conducted the study from 2010 until February 2016, when the final report was presented to Congress. The report concluded that expansion would increase opportunities for public enjoyment and protect significant natural resources.

Schiff, with the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), first introduced the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act in 2017 when he was serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation was approved on a bipartisan basis by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.