Hills For Everyone is pleased to announce we’ve partnered with Senator Josh Newman to re-introduce a slightly revised bill to expand Chino Hills State Park and require the Department of Parks and Recreation to take the lands it has always envisioned to have, into its ownership. Assemblymember Phillip Chen has co-authored the bill.

Here are the specifics:

• Three properties have been identified (two willing sellers and one donation) totaling 1,531 acres. View the map below (purple, red, and yellow/green areas).
• We’ve identified several sources for acquisition dollars from federal, state, and local funding sources.
• These lands were identified 40 years ago as priorities and are consistent with the goals of the State Park General Plan to protect the ridgelines and create wildlife corridors.
• The entire State Park system stopped acquiring additional lands a decade ago, yet our population and need for parks continues to grow. This bill turns the tide.

While the bill is not yet scheduled for hearing in the Senate, we are getting organized now. The bill language is quite simple and direct, view it online.

The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water will need to hear from you. We are coordinating letters from agencies, cities, non-profits, and community members. This is where you come in.

Help us add lands to the State Park by sending in a letter today (a sample you can copy & paste from is provided below). Personalized letters are best, so please make it your own. We’ve included prompting questions below for you to answer in your letter, but feel free to write from the heart.

Prompting Questions:

• Why is Chino Hills State Park is important to you?
• What benefits does Chino Hills State Park bring to you and the community?
• Do you recreate at the State Park? If so, describe.
• Why do we need more parkland?
• How has having this park available during the pandemic helped you?

Because the bill hasn’t yet been scheduled for a hearing, we are asking you to submit your letters to us to relay as a package to the Committee. Send your support letter to us as soon as possible. A sample support letter is available on another post.