Biden Set to Visit Southern California, May Unveil New National Monument

LOS ANGELES—President Joe Biden is set to arrive in Los Angeles on Monday before heading to the Coachella Valley in Riverside County, where he may announce the establishment of a national monument located south of Joshua Tree National Park.

On Monday, Biden and first lady Jill Biden will first travel to New Orleans, with plans to meet with “families and community members affected” by the New Year’s terror attack on Bourbon Street that resulted in 15 fatalities and numerous injuries, as stated by the White House.

Following their time in New Orleans, the Bidens will make their way to Los Angeles later in the day. The president is scheduled to visit the eastern Coachella Valley on Tuesday, according to the White House, although specific details regarding this trip have not yet been disclosed.

The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Biden is prepping to sign a proclamation to create the Chuckwalla National Monument, prohibiting drilling, mining, and other energy- and industry-related activities in the area. Additionally, the proclamation will extend to regions surrounding the Sáttítla National Monument in Northern California.

Southern California tribal leaders, who had previously advocated in Washington, D.C. for such a designation, discussed their commitment to safeguarding the homelands of the Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan, and Maara’yam peoples—the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mohave (CRIT Mohave), Quechan, and Serrano nations—in October.

“Since time immemorial, we have called the lands in the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument home,” remarked Secretary Altrena Santillanes of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. “These lands harbor thousands of cultural sites and artifacts essential to the history and identity of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians.”

The tribal leaders have proposed a monument that would cover roughly 627,000 acres of public land and additionally safeguard around 17,000 acres in the Eagle Mountains.

Supporters stated that the designation would also “protect significant heritage values tied to the land, such as multi-use trail systems created by Indigenous peoples and sacred sites,” while further acknowledging tribal sovereignty and introducing new opportunities for tribes to co-manage their homelands with federal entities.

They emphasized that enhanced protections for public lands would improve equitable access to the natural wonders of the eastern Coachella Valley and surrounding areas, including Mecca’s Painted Canyon trail and the Bradshaw Trail in southeastern Riverside County.

As described, the proposed monument is spiritually significant and contains natural resources essential to multiple Indigenous peoples.

The organization Protect Chuckwalla highlighted that this initiative complements the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP). The boundaries of the monument were drawn to avoid interfering with areas designated by the DRECP for “suitable renewable energy development,” while the DRECP also identified portions of the eastern Coachella Valley as crucial for biological conservation.

“As the original stewards of these lands, we have been entrusted with the responsibility to preserve the cultural, natural, and spiritual values passed down by our ancestors,” said David Harper of the Mojave Elders for the Colorado River Indian Tribes. “Thus, caring for these lands is a sacred duty and honor.”

Last year, over two dozen members of the California congressional delegation, including Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Indio), U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler, called for the issuance of a Presidential Proclamation under the 1906 Antiquities Act to officially designate the national monument.

The initiative also enjoys backing from tribal leaders, representatives, at least eight city governments in the Coachella Valley, and over 225 local businesses and establishments.

“For the Quechan people, a national monument designation for the land signifies the preservation of the lifeways, culture, stories, and teachings that connect us to our past, present, and future,” stated Donald Medart Jr. of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe Council. “We urge President Biden to assist us in continuing to share the beauty of these places that our ancestors entrusted us to steward by protecting them indefinitely.”

For more information on the campaign to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, visit protectchuckwalla.org.