Becker, Laird, Berman and Conservation Leaders Celebrate Landmark New Law Protecting the Santa Cruz Mountains

CUPERTINO, CA — Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) today brought together state lawmakers, tribal representatives, conservation organizations, and community leaders to celebrate Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing of SB 949, landmark legislation formally recognizing the Santa Cruz Mountains as a Landscape of Statewide Significance.

Signed September 18, SB 949 recognizes the ecological, climate, watershed, recreational, and cultural importance of the Santa Cruz Mountains and strengthens coordination around the protection, restoration, and management of the region.

“The Santa Cruz Mountains have always been special. Now, California law formally recognizes their statewide significance,” said Senator Becker. “These mountains protect our drinking water, capture carbon, provide critical wildlife corridors, support extraordinary biodiversity, and give millions of people access to nature. SB 949 recognizes that protecting this landscape is not simply a local responsibility — it is a responsibility we share as a state. I’m grateful to Governor Newsom for signing this landmark legislation and to the tribal, conservation, community, and legislative partners who worked with us to make this moment possible.”

“The Santa Cruz Mountains are a special place, and those of us fortunate enough to represent this region know just how much they mean to the communities that call them home. This new law recognizes their importance to the entire state and strengthens our commitment to protecting their extraordinary biodiversity, building healthier and more resilient forests, and working with tribal communities and local partners to steward these lands for generations to come. I’m proud to have worked alongside Senator Becker on this effort and grateful for his leadership in bringing people together across the region to get it across the finish line.” – Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz).

“The Santa Cruz Mountains are an exceptional natural resource, even in California, a state full of superlative landscapes. But the region’s future is at risk from climate change and other growing threats,” said Sara Barth, Executive Director of Sempervirens Fund. “This new law creates a path for the State, lawmakers, and partners to pursue the resources needed to respond to the scale of those threats with the urgency they demand.”

"Senate Bill 949 codifies in state law what we already know: the Santa Cruz Mountains are extraordinary. Our region is home to iconic redwood forests, working lands, rich biodiversity, water sources for hundreds of thousands of people, and legendary parks enjoyed by locals and visitors from across the world. The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County is proud to steward thousands of acres of conserved lands in the Santa Cruz Mountains and we applaud Senator Becker's effort to secure this important designation that will strengthen conservation and stewardship opportunities across the region." - Eric Lombardo, Director of External Affairs, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County

“These open space lands are full of native wildlife and plant species found nowhere else in the world,” said Ana Ruiz, General Manager for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. “As a global biodiversity hotspot, the Santa Cruz Mountains are a vital reservoir of life and land that we have the incredible opportunity to care for, and which in turn care for us.”

“The Mutsun people are from the southern region of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and it is a significant place for us and for other Native tribes of the region, reflecting thousands of years of intertribal Indigenous presence,” said Ed Ketchum, Chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, earlier this year. “Many culturally sensitive areas exist in the coastal range of what we call ‘Calendrac’ or ‘Houses by the Water,’ emphasizing the importance of protecting these sites, which are vital to honoring our history and ensuring Indigenous stewardship of the landscape moving forward.”

Becker, Laird, and Berman were joined at Rancho San Antonio County Park & Open Space Preserve by Ketchum, Ruiz, Barth, Lombardo, and more than 20 conservation, tribal, and community leaders.

Stretching through San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties, the Santa Cruz Mountains support more than 350 locally rare native plant species and threatened and endangered wildlife. Their forests and watersheds capture carbon, stabilize soils, filter water, and provide critical habitat corridors.

SB 949 directs the California Natural Resources Agency and its departments, boards, and conservancies to prioritize coordinated protection, restoration, and management of the region, including efforts to strengthen forest health and wildfire resilience, protect watersheds and biodiversity, restore habitat, conserve working lands, and preserve responsible public access. The law also promotes collaboration with landowners and tribal communities while respecting private property rights.

SB 949 was co-authored by Senator John Laird and Assemblymember Marc Berman and sponsored by Sempervirens Fund and the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. The legislation was supported by regional conservation partners including the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, Peninsula Open Space Trust, and Amah Mutsun Land Trust.