May 12, 2025
Representative Dave Min
1034 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
RE: San Gabriel Valley River Working Group
Dear Representative Min:
Thank you for selecting the San Gabriel River project as one of 15 chosen for your FY 2026 Congressional Spending Requests. We have been working on this issue for the last several years and appreciate it greatly.
As you may know, I have been working closely with the City of Seal Beach in my Assembly District to address problematic litter and trash that finds its way onto their beaches via the San Gabriel River. With a growing Great Pacific Garbage Patch, migrating sea turtles in the river and waterway beach trash collections of over 400 Tons in 2024 alone, the San Gabriel River cleanup efforts are critical for the residents of Orange and Los Angeles counties, as well as the millions of visitors accessing the beach and ocean. Our working group aims to work with all regional stakeholders to make a difference in preventing further pollution with creative solutions. Unfortunately, much of the trash that ends up in our beautiful oceans is typically transported by rivers. It is an important step to invest in projects like this one to intercept as much as possible to protect our coastline for generations to come.
If you have any questions about the Working Group, please contact Janelle Atienza on my staff at Janelle.Atienza@asm.ca.gov or 949-798-7221.
