Santa Monica Mountains: An island of nature

Something remarkable is unfolding in the mountains above our urban sprawl—something for the ages. Parcel by parcel, acre by acre, we have amassed the largest swath of protected open space of any major metropolis in the nation. It’s a text-book example of collaboration between federal, state and local officials who worked hand-in-hand with grass roots groups dedicated to protecting the area from the kind of development that overtook the Hollywood Hills. For Zev Yaroslavsky, the preservation of the Santa Monica Mountains is both political and personal.

Video by John Vande Wege