Central Coast Caucus Co-Chairs Urge the Upholding of the Roadless Rule

SACRAMENTO - Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) and Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara), the co-chairs of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, urged the federal government to uphold the Roadless Rule and protect the Central Coast's natural landscapes, community, and economy.

Addis and Hart submitted the following letter to the US Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, during the Roadless Rule public comment period:

September 18, 2025

Brooke Rollins

Secretary of Agriculture

United States Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20250

SUBJECT: California Legislative Central Coast Caucus Opposition to the Rollback of the Roadless Rule

Dear Secretary Rollins:

The California Legislative Central Coast Caucus (CLCCC) writes in opposition to the proposal to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule ("Roadless Rule") that prohibits new road construction and timber harvesting in inventoried roadless areas.

The CLCCC consists of ten California state legislators representing Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties. We are committed to protecting the Central Coast's natural landscape, communities, and economy, and understand that preserving our wild spaces, coastlines, and working lands is crucial to maintaining our region's identity.

For over two decades, the Roadless Rule has protected over 60 million acres across the United States from road construction and timber harvesting in some of our nation's most pristine and environmentally significant areas. In California, the U.S. Forest Service manages 20 million acres of national forests, including over 3.9 million acres of inventoried roadless areas ("roadless areas"). One of these forests, the Los Padres National Forest, is located on the Central Coast and contains approximately 635,000 acres of roadless areas.

In the Los Padres National Forest, the roadless areas are essential to maintaining and supporting the outdoor recreation economy that draws people from around the world to the Central Coast. Close to a million people visit the forest annually, creating over $75 million in revenue every year. The forest also generates more than 1,500 jobs and $103.4 million in yearly income for wage earners and local businesses. Removing these protections for the Los Padres National Forest would be detrimental to our communities' economic and environmental health.

Roadless areas are important for mitigating the effects of extreme weather. Our national forests serve as important carbon sinks, helping remove millions of tons of carbon emissions that would otherwise contribute to extreme heat, atmospheric rivers, and ocean acidification. Opening these ecologically and environmentally important areas up for road development, mining, and logging will not only release the carbon stored, it will also leave our communities vulnerable to the devastating impacts of extreme weather, polluted waterways, fragmented ecosystems, and increased wildfire risks.

At a time when the Central Coast is already grappling with extreme heat, floods, and rising sea levels, defending the Roadless Rule is not just a matter of environmental stewardship, it is also one of public health and fiscal responsibility. Our region, like many others across the nation, cannot afford to expose our forests to the serious consequences that will come with the loss of the Roadless Rule.

For these reasons, the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus strongly opposes the rollback or weakening of any kind of the Roadless Rule. We urge you to uphold the Roadless Rule and preserve these irreplaceable public lands for the health, safety, and prosperity of our communities.

Sincerely,

DAWN ADDIS GREGG HART

Co-Chair, Central Coast Caucus Co-Chair, Central Coast Caucus

Assemblymember, 30^th District Assemblymember, 37^th District

--

The California Legislative Central Coast Caucus is made up of ten elected officials representing Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties. The caucus is led by Assemblymembers Dawn Addis and Gregg Hart as co-chairs and Senator Monique Limón as the vice chair. Members of the caucus include Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Assemblymembers Steve Bennett, Jacqui Irwin, Gail Pellerin, and Senators Anna Caballero, John Laird, and Henry Stern.