A congressman representing the Central and South Coasts and a U.S. senator have teamed up to reintroduce legislation which would provide new protection against development for nearly a quarter of a million acres of land in the region.
HR 2199 would designate huge swaths of land in the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument as wilderness.
It would also provide for creation of a nearly 400 mile long trail from Los Angeles County to Monterey County.
The legislation was co-authored by Democratic Congressman Salud Carbajal of Santa Barbara and Democratic State Senator Kamala Harris of California.