AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 25, 2026

AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 11, 2026

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

97

Introduced by Senator Becker

February 2, 2026

An act to add Part 9 (commencing with Section 71470) to Division 34 of the Public Resources Code, relating to environmental protection.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law establishes the Natural Resources Agency, composed of departments, boards, conservancies, and commissions responsible for the restoration, protection, and management of the state’s natural and cultural resources.

This bill would designate the Santa Cruz Mountains, as defined, as a landscape resource of statewide significance that requires special protection, as defined. The bill would require the Natural Resources Agency and its boards, departments, and conservancies, to the extent that resources are available, and when appropriate, to encourage collaborative stewardship approaches that support the protection, restoration, and preservation of the Santa Cruz Mountains, among other things.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Santa Cruz Mountains covering portions of the Counties of San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Part 9 (commencing with Section 71470) is added to Division 34 of the Public Resources Code, to read:

Part 9. Landscape Resource of Statewide Significance

71470.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) The habitat in and around the Santa Cruz Mountains contains rare and endemic species, including the San Francisco garter snake, the Santa Cruz kangaroo rat, the Santa Cruz cypress, and many more species found only in that region.

(2) The Santa Cruz Mountains are also a resource of statewide cultural, historical, and environmental significance. They provide unique habitats for wildlife, offer recreational opportunities, and deliver significant ecological benefits. The range covers a vast area, spanning parts of the Counties of San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz, and is home to coast redwoods and diverse ecosystems.

(3) The Santa Cruz Mountains are a vital wildlife corridor, connecting coastal ranges and providing habitat for numerous species, including state-listed endangered species.

(4) The area is a crucial source of natural resources that contribute to climate resilience through carbon sequestration, water management, watershed health, erosion control, and habitat preservation.

(5) Working lands within the Santa Cruz Mountains, including sustainably managed timberlands, ranches, and agricultural lands, are essential to the region’s economy and provide critical ecosystem services, including wildfire fuel reduction, groundwater recharge, and open-space preservation.

(6) The Santa Cruz Mountains are the ancestral homelands of Indigenous peoples who have lived in and stewarded this landscape for millennia. Their traditional ecological knowledge and ongoing cultural connection to these lands are foundational to the region’s biodiversity, ecological health, and cultural heritage.

(7) The landscape of the Santa Cruz Mountains is comprised of a vital mosaic of publicly owned open-space and private lands, including working forests and ranches. The successful protection of this region requires a collaborative approach that respects private property rights while enhancing the stewardship efforts of both public agencies and private landowners.

(b) For purposes of this section, “Santa Cruz Mountains” means the area defined by the following boundaries:

(1) The County of San Mateo west of Highway 101, north of Interstate 380, and west of Interstate 280.

(2) The County of Santa Clara west of Interstate 280, west of Route 85, and west of Highway 101, excluding the portion of Hydrologic Unit Code 12 Upper Llagas Creek below 400 feet in elevation and all of the following Hydrologic Unit Code 12 watersheds:

(A) Canoas Creek.

(B) Metcalfe Canyon-Coyote Creek.

(C) Little Llagas Creek.

(D) Lower Llagas Creek.

(3) The County of Santa Cruz north and east of State Highway 1.

(c) The Santa Cruz Mountains are hereby designated as a landscape resource of statewide significance that requires special protection. For purposes of this subdivision, “protection” has the same meaning as defined in Section 90100.

(d) To the extent that resources are available, and when appropriate, the Natural Resources Agency, and its boards, departments, and conservancies, shall encourage collaborative stewardship approaches that support all of the following:

(1) Protection, restoration, and preservation of the Santa Cruz Mountains’ natural ecosystems.

(2) Restoration and preservation of wildlife habitat in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

(3) Promotion of healthy forest management in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

(4) Improvement of watershed management in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

(5) Development and maintenance of trails for public access and other recreational opportunities in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

(6) Promotion of the long-term sustainability and conservation of working lands in the Santa Cruz Mountains to ensure they remain viable while contributing to the region’s overall environmental health.

(7) Collaboration with local tribes to protect tribal cultural resources, partner on restoration and management efforts, and support opportunities for tribal access, cultural practices, and the potential for comanagement of ancestral lands in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

(8) Promotion of voluntary stewardship on public and private lands in the Santa Cruz Mountains through technical assistance, conservation easements, incentive programs, and multibenefit projects that contribute to the landscape-level goals of ecological health and climate resilience.

(e) This section shall not be construed as authorizing the Natural Resources Agency to impose additional regulatory requirements on land use or working lands, including timber and agricultural lands, within the Santa Cruz Mountains.

SEC. 2.

The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique nature of the Santa Cruz Mountains as set forth in the findings and declarations specified in Section 1 of this act.