Garamendi Hosts Interior Secretary Haaland at Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to Advocate for Presidential Expansion

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA08), a former Deputy Secretary of the Interior during the Clinton Administration, joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Tracy Stone-Manning, and Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA04) on a visit to Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in Lake County to meet with Tribal, state and local officials, and community members. Garamendi represented northern Lake County from 2013 through 2023, prior to California’s most recent redistricting.

“I was thrilled to host Secretary Haaland with Congressman Thompson in Lake County to tour the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Secretary Haaland is a proven advocate for conserving our public lands and ensuring that federally recognized tribes have a meaningful seat at the table. I was honored to present our case for expanding the national monument, renaming ‘Walker Ridge’ to ‘Molok Luyuk,’ also known as ‘Condor Ridge,’ and providing tribal co-management of these ancestral homelands. I was honored to represent this area of Lake County for the past decade and look forward to finishing the job to conserve this special place for future generations,” said Garamendi.

As Deputy Secretary of the Interior from 1995 to 1998 and having represented northern Lake County from 2013 to 2023, Congressman Garamendi has a lifelong passion for conserving California's special places. Earlier this year, Congressman Garamendi reintroduced the “Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act” (H.R.1396) with Congressman Thomson and U.S. Senators Padilla and Feinstein.

• February 2014: Congressmen Mike Thompson, Garamendi, and Huffman introduced bicameral legislation with then-Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to establish the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.

• December 2014: Congressmen Thompson and Garamendi host then-Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Obama Administration officials on a tour of Berryessa Snow Mountain Region, urging National Monument designation.

• July 2015: President Obama declared the federal land surrounding Lake Berryessa as a National Monument, at the Congressmen's urging.

• May 2017: Garamendi defends Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument against Trump Administration's review to downsize national monuments designated by President Obama under the 1906 Antiquities Act.

• July 2021: Garamendi sought public feedback on the proposed Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument expansion and his draft legislation.

• January 2022: Garamendi introduced the "Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act" (H.R.6366) with Congressman Thompson.

• March 2022: Garamendi testified before the House of Representatives' Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands on his "Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act" with Tribal Chairman Anthony Roberts for the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation

• April 2022: Senator Padilla introduced the companion legislation (S.4080) with Senator Feinstein.

• June 2022: Senator Padilla testified before the U.S. Senate's Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining on his companion legislation (S.4080).

• July 14, 2022: U.S. House of Representatives passed Garamendi's Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act" as part of the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023" (H.R.7900).

• July 21, 2022: U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed Senator Padilla's companion legislation (S.4080) with bipartisan support.
• March 2023: Garamendi and Senator Padilla reintroduced the “Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act” (H.R.1396) with Congressman Thomson and Senator Feinstein.
• May 2023: U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed Senator Padilla's companion legislation (S.683) with bipartisan support.

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