March 27, 2025 – WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Representative Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.-16) 
introduced legislation to expand and improve the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The bicameral bill would allow the National Park Service to acquire the 896-acre Scarper Ridge property in San Mateo County adjacent to Rancho Corral De Tierra, a 3,858-acre site which is already managed by the Park Service. The bill previously passed the Senate by unanimous consent in December 2024.
Historic Coast Guard Station of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area Courtesy of the National Park Service
“The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is one of the most popular urban parks in the world, flush with rich biodiversity, extensive military artifacts, and stunning recreational opportunities,” said Senator Padilla. “Expanding the park’s boundary to incorporate the Scarper Ridge Property would allow the National Park Service to help protect critically threatened and endangered plants and wildlife, while connecting public lands and hiking trails for locals and visitors alike to enjoy.”
“My ancestor, José Francisco Ortega, trudged near Scarper Ridge while exploring the sweeping expanse of these hills as a scout on the Portolá Expedition in the 1770’s — the first non-indigenous person to hike through this mountain range or to see the San Francisco Bay from land. While I will never witness this landscape in the pristine context that Ortega did, I have introduced this legislation to protect Scarper Ridge and its breathtaking coastal vistas for future generations,” said Representative Liccardo.
“We are grateful to Congressman Liccardo and Senator Padilla for carrying on the work started by Congresswoman Eshoo and Senator Padilla to expand and improve the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on the San Mateo County Coast. With help from public and private funds, POST bought this 896-acre property in 2014. Because of its unique habitats, species of wildlife, and opportunities for public trails, we have long hoped it would be incorporated into the Rancho Corral de Tierra landscape. Having champions like Senator Padilla and Congressman Liccardo at the Federal level is vital so that biodiverse coastal areas like these are preserved for Californians to enjoy forever,” said Gordon Clark, President of Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST).
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area consists of more than 80,000 acres of diverse properties managed by the National Park Service across three Bay Area counties that includes historic sites, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and open space for outdoor recreation. In addition to famous landmarks like Alcatraz Island and the Presidio of San Francisco, the park includes hundreds of acres of open space on the San Mateo County Coastside.
Senator Padilla previously secured language in the FY 2023 appropriations package to allow the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to move forward on construction of a seawall and other permanent structures on federal land managed by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to protect critical infrastructure and recreational space from climate change and sea level rise.
A map of the proposed expansion is available here.
Full text of the bill is available here.
Source: Senator Alex Padilla
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