Public lands that were recently protected may no longer be after confusing Trump announcement
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Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your Monday.
- Trump sets sights on new California national monuments
- An American won the L.A. Marathon for the first time in 31 years
- Explore 11 awe-inspiring things to do in Carmel Valley that take you beyond the quaint seaside
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper.
One president’s protections may be his successor’s extractions.
Days before he left office, President Biden established two new national monuments in the Golden State: Sáttítla Highlands in Northern California and Chuckwalla, next to Joshua Tree National Park.
But on Friday and Saturday, the Trump administration created confusion about the fate of those monuments, as Times reporter Doug Smith explained:
“The confusion arose over a bullet item referencing President Trump’s rollback of the monument designations in a White House fact sheet posted Friday detailing the reversal of various Biden administration policies. On Saturday, the reference to monuments was dropped without explanation.”
Some other national news organizations reported that Trump had in fact rescinded the designation for the two monuments, or that he planned to. Amid the uncertainty, here’s what we know.
Protect and preserve vs. ‘drill baby drill’
In his proclamation establishing the Chuckwalla National Monument, Biden said the move would “preserve an important spiritual, cultural, prehistoric, and historic legacy and protect places inscribed with history for future generations; maintain a diverse array of natural and scientific resources; and help ensure that the prehistoric, historic, and scientific resources and values of the region endure for the benefit of all Americans.”
And in the order establishing the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument, the former president wrote:
“It is vital to preserve this unique geologic landscape that holds sites and objects of historical, traditional, cultural, and spiritual significance for Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples who have gathered Indigenous Knowledge and practiced and shaped their cultures linked integrally to this area over countless generations.”
Both monuments, which make up nearly 850,000 acres combined, were also noted for their “recreational opportunities,” including hiking, camping, biking and more.
Trump, meanwhile, has been anything but cryptic about his approach to public lands: ”Drill baby drill.”
Doug Burgum, Trump’s secretary of the Interior, issued an order last month dubbed “Unleashing American Energy,” directing his staff to “review and, as appropriate, revise all withdrawn public lands” and seeking to increase oil, gas and other resource extraction from federal lands.
Burgum’s order is meant to implement Trump’s own Unleashing American Energy executive order, signed on his first day in office.
The Sáttítla Highlands had already been eyed for geothermal energy development. Some tribal leaders worry Chuckwalla could be targeted for groundwater extraction, to devastating effect.
The confusing fact sheet initially included this bullet-pointed language:
“Terminating proclamations declaring nearly a million acres constitute new national monuments that lock up vast amounts of land from economic development and energy production.”
Amid the confusion, tribal members and conservation groups are sounding the alarm.
Ileene Anderson, California deserts director at the Center for Biological Diversity, told Doug Smith that Trump’s actions, if true, represent “a gruesome attack on our system of public lands.”
“Both these monuments were spearheaded by local Tribes with overwhelming support from local and regional communities including businesses and recreationalists,” Anderson said. “This vindictive and unwarranted action is a slap in the face to Tribes and all supporters of public lands.”
It’s a good bet lawsuits will follow. Trump’s authority to reverse the protections has not been decided in court, as Doug explained.
“Trump, in his first term, reduced the boundaries of two monuments in Utah... and stripped protections from a marine monument off the coast of New England to allow commercial fishing,” he wrote. “Litigation challenging the reductions was still pending when Biden reversed the changes, and the matter was never settled.”
Today’s top stories
2025 Los Angeles Marathon
- Matt Richtman crossed the finish line first, becoming the first American to win the race in 31 years.
- More than 26,000 people competed in the marathon, which started at 7 a.m. at Dodger Stadium.
- Explore Sunday’s race through pictures from Times photographers and contributors.
Crime and public safety
- Two gunmen shot a woman multiple times in Studio City, the LAPD says.
- A killer said his ex-lover had no role in her husband’s slaying: “I murdered him because I wanted her.”
What else is going on
- Amid the arrest of a pro-Palestinian student organizer, what rights do visa holders and others have?
- It’s heartbreak for fans of a famous Big Bear bald eagle family as an eaglet dies in a winter storm.
- USC won its first NCAA men’s indoor track and field title in 53 years.
- An L.A. man scalded by Starbucks drinks was awarded $50 million.
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Commentary and opinions
- Robin Abcarian: There is nothing efficient about Musk and Trump’s toxic lack of empathy.
- Steve Lopez: After the fires, some residents are starting from scratch in their 70s, 80s and 90s.
- Mark Z. Barabak: Elon Musk brought a Silicon Valley mindset to Trump’s Washington. It’s been a disaster.
This morning’s must reads
It’s an almost unthinkable reality: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki are all Dodgers. The Times’ Jack Harris chronicles how the Dodgers’ vision of Japanese prominence became reality.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your downtime
Going out
- 🍷 11 awe-inspiring things to do in Carmel Valley that take you beyond the quaint seaside
- 🥯 25 of the best bagel shops in Los Angeles.
Staying in
- 📺 Two-minute TV shows have taken over China. Can they take over the world?
- 🧑🍳 Here’s a recipe for cardamom raspberry bars.
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And finally ... your photo of the day
Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.
Today’s great photo is from Times photography fellow Juliana Yamada, who captured the fun during Sunday’s L.A. Marathon.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Amy Hubbard, deputy editor, Fast Break
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