The hills visible from every Lamorinda backyard now carry an official state designation: the California State Senate voted 33-0 on Thursday, Aug. 13, to approve Assembly Concurrent Resolution 107, making the Diablo Range a formal conservation priority under the state's 30x30 initiative.
Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who represents Orinda in the 16th Assembly District, authored the resolution. Senator John Laird introduced it on the Senate floor before the final vote, according to Save Mount Diablo, the nonprofit land conservation organization that sponsored the measure.
The 30x30 initiative aims to conserve 30 percent of California's lands and coastal waters by 2030, promoting biodiversity, climate resilience and public access to nature. ACR 107 places the Diablo Range on the state's official list of priorities under that framework.
What it does and doesn't do
A concurrent resolution does not carry the force of law, mandate land acquisition or appropriate funds. What it does is put the range on record as a state priority, giving future land-protection and funding efforts political momentum.
The Diablo Range stretches more than 200 miles through 12 California counties, encompassing over 4 million largely undeveloped acres. Mount Diablo, the range's northernmost anchor in Contra Costa County, sits just east of Orinda and Moraga. The state park alone covers roughly 20,000 acres.
Less than 30 percent of the range is currently conserved, according to Save Mount Diablo. The range is home to hundreds of rare and endangered species, including the California condor and the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and more than 10 million people live in surrounding communities.
Long legislative path
The resolution cleared every step without opposition. The Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife approved it Sept. 10, 2025; the full Assembly passed it 74-0 on Sept. 13, 2025, according to the Senate Daily File. The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee advanced it 7-0 on June 9, 2026, before the full Senate's unanimous vote Thursday.
"The California legislature's historic approval of our resolution has just given much needed visibility, attention, and momentum to protecting the previously little-known, yet hugely important, Diablo Range," Save Mount Diablo executive director Ted Clement said in the organization's announcement.
No next steps have been announced. Future conservation actions within the range would require separate funding and approval processes.
