Sen. Allen Talks Environment and More in Temescal Canyon

By MATTHEW MEYER | Reporter

State Sen. Ben Allen addressed a packed house at the annual meeting of the Temescal Canyon Association on Dec. 4, touching on environmental issues in the Santa Monica Mountains and beyond.

Gathered in the Temescal Gateway Park dining hall on a blustery night, Allen told attendees he had fond memories of hiking in the park with his father—and not so fond memories of triggering photo-enforced tickets at one of the entry’s stop signs.

Allen’s status as environmental caucus co-chair in Sacramento and a longtime advocate for parks on the Westside has made him a natural friend of the TCA. The decades-old organization is dedicated to preserving open space in the Santa Monica Mountains and enhancing public access to the park.

Allen cited “big picture concerns” in the effort to preserve Earth’s natural resources and didn’t shy away from targeting the Trump administration for rolling back environmental protections.

Allen said the new federal government has created “a certain amount of fear and a certain amount of determination,” among his colleagues.

He spoke glowingly of the California Legislature’s extension of the cap-and-trade program this year. Eight Republicans signed off on the program, which requires companies to buy credits for additional greenhouse gases they release into the atmosphere if they cannot drop to mandated levels.

Allen also touted the bi-partisan support he brokered for new regulations that allow off-road vehicle owners to continue pursuing their hobby in California but under tighter environmental constraints.

He expanded to talk about issues from transportation to campaign finance, tackling topics with such fervor that he had to be gently reminded to give an update on the Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing—a corridor of safe passage across the 101 that’s seen as vital to mountain lion survival in the Santa Monica Mountains, which Allen was billed to address.

He said the Caltrans project is optimistically projected for 2020, and that he’s working on culling more funding for the crossing, which has been slow to develop. Attendees expressed concern at the project’s pace.

Allen also voiced interest in urban greening and maintaining the city’s canopy, the subject of an ongoing Palisadian-Post investigation. He named it among four key focuses for upcoming legislation planned with the Nature Conservancy.

The evening also featured an update from TCA leadership, who shared that the association is financially healthy thanks to its wide base of donors and is increasingly moving materials online.

And historian Randy Young gave a presentation on Los Liones Canyon’s remarkable periods of transformation, from its days as bucolic, untouched land to a “used hanky” of a canyon damaged by development—and to its painstaking restoration (of which Young was an integral part).

The canyon’s status as a beautiful public resource today is a testament, Young said, to the volunteers and professionals who came together to protect it.