How to protect the San Gabriel Mountains

Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) introduced a bill this year to turn the 655,000-acre range into a National Recreation Area, which would bring in National Park Service oversight, money and a new emphasis on conservation and recreation. Chu's bill is the better way to protect the mountains, but with Congress deadlocked, it has stalled. So she has asked President Obama to use his executive power to designate the San Gabriel Mountains a national monument.