Congressional Public Lands Score by More Than Just Parks

Alex Padilla

Democrat · U.S. Senate · California

95%

Ranked #16 (tied) of 98 scored

Scored 90% or higher.

Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat from California, earns an A on the Congressional Public Lands Score. Of the 19 scored Senate votes, Padilla cast 18 for public lands and 1 against. The two closest: Nay on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1), 50 to 50, and Nay on Overturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban (H.J.Res.140), 50 to 49. Padilla's seat is not on the 2026 ballot.

Every scored vote: 19 of 19 U.S. Senate votes counted

Pro-lands
Lilly Fish and Wildlife and Parks (En Bloc) S.Res.817
En bloc confirmation of 74 nominees under S.Res.817, including Kevin Lilly as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, the official overseeing the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lilly, a Texas wealth manager, drew formal opposition from the National Parks Conservation Association, and senators from both parties questioned his lack of land management experience. Confirmed 51-47. Senators who voted Yea confirmed every nominee in the package.
Voted Nay · August 7, 2026 · Roll call 225, 51 to 47
Pro-lands
Pearce BLM Director (En Bloc) S.Res.690
En bloc confirmation of 49 nominees under S.Res.690, including Stevan Pearce as Director of the Bureau of Land Management, the agency managing 245 million acres of public land. As a congressman, Pearce repeatedly backed transferring or selling federal public land. Confirmed 46-43. Senators who voted Yea confirmed every nominee in the package.
Voted Nay · May 18, 2026 · Roll call 125, 46 to 43
Pro-lands
Overturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban H.J.Res.140
CRA resolution overturning the 20-year mining ban on 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest upstream of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the most visited wilderness in America. Became Public Law 119-85.
Voted Nay · April 16, 2026 · Roll call 84, 50 to 49
Pro-lands
Opening Arctic Refuge to Drilling H.J.Res.131
CRA resolution overturning the 2024 environmental protections for oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, stripping safeguards from the 1.56-million-acre coastal plain calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd
Voted Nay · December 4, 2025 · Roll call 632, 49 to 45
Pro-lands
Overturning Powder River Basin Coal Protections (WY) H.J.Res.130
CRA resolution nullifying the Bureau of Land Management's 2024 Buffalo Field Office resource management plan amendment in Wyoming, which made approximately 413,000 acres of federal coal unavailable for future leasing in the Powder River Basin.
Voted Nay · November 20, 2025 · Roll call 623, 51 to 43
Pro-lands
Opening Western Arctic to Drilling S.J.Res.80
CRA resolution nullifying the 2022 management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which had closed about half of the 23-million-acre Western Arctic reserve to new oil and gas leasing
Voted Nay · October 30, 2025 · Roll call 599, 52 to 45
Pro-lands
Overturning Central Yukon Protections (AK) H.J.Res.106
CRA resolution nullifying the Bureau of Land Management's Central Yukon resource management plan in Alaska, which designated 21 areas of critical environmental concern covering approximately 3.6 million acres. The resolution removed a land-plan barrier to the Ambler Road, which would cross Gates of the Arctic National Preserve; the administration had restored the road's federal permits three days earlier. Became Public Law 119-50.
Voted Nay · October 9, 2025 · Roll call 560, 50 to 46
Pro-lands
Overturning Miles City BLM Protections (MT) H.J.Res.104
CRA resolution rolling back Bureau of Land Management resource management plans for the Miles City Field Office in Montana, opening public lands to expanded industrial use
Voted Nay · October 8, 2025 · Roll call 549, 52 to 47
Pro-lands
Overturning North Dakota BLM Protections H.J.Res.105
CRA resolution rolling back Bureau of Land Management resource management plans for the North Dakota Field Office, removing protections from public lands across the state
Voted Nay · October 8, 2025 · Roll call 556, 50 to 45
Pro-lands
Boren USDA Under Secretary (En Bloc) S.Res.412
En bloc confirmation of 108 nominees under S.Res.412, including Michael Boren as USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, the official directly overseeing the U.S. Forest Service. Confirmed 51-47. Senators who voted Yea confirmed every nominee in the package.
Voted Nay · October 7, 2025 · Roll call 547, 51 to 47
Pro-lands
Nesvik USFWS Director PN25-35
Confirmed Brian Nesvik as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency responsible for endangered species protections and the National Wildlife Refuge System
Voted Nay · August 1, 2025 · Roll call 470, 54 to 43
Pro-lands
One Big Beautiful Bill H.R.1
Reconciliation bill mandating four Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain lease sales, five National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska lease sales, a four-million-acre coal leasing mandate, coal royalty rate cuts from 12.5% to 7%, a 250-million-board-foot yearly increase in national forest timber sales through 2034, and rescinding Inflation Reduction Act conservation funding
Voted Nay · July 1, 2025 · Roll call 372, 50 to 50
Pro-lands
Vaden Deputy Agriculture PN12-43
Confirmed Stephen Vaden as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, second in command of the department that houses the U.S. Forest Service
Voted Nay · June 10, 2025 · Roll call 301, 51 to 44
Pro-lands
MacGregor Deputy Interior PN13-10
Confirmed Katharine MacGregor as Deputy Secretary of the Interior, the department's chief operating officer, who led first-term efforts to shrink national monuments and expand drilling on public lands
Voted Nay · May 14, 2025 · Roll call 250, 54 to 40
Pro-lands
Overturning Glen Canyon Safeguards H.J.Res.60
CRA resolution overturning the National Park Service rule limiting off-road vehicle use in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, reopening those routes to motorized use
Voted Nay · May 8, 2025 · Roll call 239, 50 to 43
Pro-lands
Preventing Public Lands Sell-Off S.Amdt.2107
Budget resolution amendment (H.Con.Res.14) to bar the use of proceeds from selling federal public land for deficit reduction, the Senate's recorded vote on public land sales ahead of the reconciliation bill
Voted Yea · April 5, 2025 · Roll call 181, 48 to 51
Pro-lands
Reinstating Fired Land Managers S.Amdt.540
Budget resolution amendment (S.Con.Res.7) creating a reserve fund to reinstate the federal employees fired from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service
Voted Yea · February 20, 2025 · Roll call 68, 48 to 52
Pro-lands
Rollins Agriculture Confirmation PN11-12
Confirmed Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture, who oversees the U.S. Forest Service and 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands
Voted Nay · February 13, 2025 · Roll call 53, 72 to 28
Anti-lands
Burgum Confirmation PN11-3
Confirmed Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior, who oversees the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, despite his stated agenda to expand oil and gas extraction on public land
Voted Yea · January 30, 2025 · Roll call 26, 80 to 17

Roll calls and tallies from senate.gov, read October 26, 2026. Which side counts as pro-lands is the scorecard's call on each vote (methodology). Provision ratings: none of these bills has an approved rating yet, so none is named here.

Call Senator Padilla through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Open the full record in the scorecard

Public lands bills Padilla sponsors or cosponsors

In the 119th Congress, Padilla sponsors 15 and cosponsors 19 public lands bills.

S.4103 Save Our Sequoias Act
Sponsor · Introduced March 16, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.3526 PUBLIC Lands Act
Sponsor · Introduced December 17, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.2881 Provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of California
Sponsor · Introduced September 18, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.2871 Pit River Land Transfer Act of 2025
Sponsor · Introduced September 18, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.2796 Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation Land Exchange Act
Sponsor · Introduced September 11, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.2735 Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Land Transfer Act of 2025
Sponsor · Introduced September 8, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.2566 Forest Legacy Management Flexibility Act
Sponsor · Introduced July 31, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.1777 Joshua Tree National Park Expansion Act
Sponsor · Introduced May 15, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.1575 RESERVE Federal Land Act
Sponsor · Introduced May 1, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.1215 César E. Chávez and the Farmworker Movement National Historical Park Act
Sponsor · Introduced March 31, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.1142 Scarper Ridge Golden Gate National Recreation Area Boundary Adjustment Act
Sponsor · Introduced March 26, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.602 Wildfire Resilience Through Grazing Research Act
Sponsor · Introduced February 13, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.453 Wildfire Intelligence Collaboration and Coordination Act of 2025
Sponsor · Introduced February 6, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.350 Wildfire Emergency Act of 2025
Sponsor · Introduced January 30, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.291 Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025
Sponsor · Introduced January 29, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.5630 Ensure sufficient bonding and complete and timely reclamation of land and water disturbed by Federal and Indian oil and gas production, amending the Mineral Leasing Act
Original cosponsor · Signed on September 30, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.5378 Outer Continental Shelf Lease Restoration Act of 2026
Original cosponsor · Signed on August 7, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.Res.837 Designating the week of August 22 through August 30, 2026, as "National Park Week"
Original cosponsor · Signed on August 6, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.5087 Wildfire Reduction Market Expansion Act of 2026
Original cosponsor · Signed on July 22, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.4715 Offshore Leasing Standards and Accountability Act of 2026
Original cosponsor · Signed on June 9, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.3720 Bay Area Ridge National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act
Cosponsor · Signed on January 29, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.3695 Santini-Burton Modernization Act of 2026
Original cosponsor · Signed on January 27, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.3429 Encouraging Public Service in Our National Parks and Public Land Act
Cosponsor · Signed on December 15, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.Res.449 Designating the week beginning on October 12, 2025, as "National Wildlife Refuge Week"
Original cosponsor · Signed on October 9, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.1926 Reducing Waste in National Parks Act
Cosponsor · Signed on July 15, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.2208 Wildfire Resilient Communities Act
Original cosponsor · Signed on July 8, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.2042 Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2025
Original cosponsor · Signed on June 11, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.1519 Arctic Refuge Protection Act of 2025
Original cosponsor · Signed on April 29, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.Res.180 Designating the week of April 19 through April 27, 2025, as "National Park Week"
Original cosponsor · Signed on April 10, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.1462 Fix Our Forests Act
Original cosponsor · Signed on April 10, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.945 Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act
Original cosponsor · Signed on March 11, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.859 Mining Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Prevention Act of 2025
Original cosponsor · Signed on March 5, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.356 Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025
Cosponsor · Signed on February 25, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.441 Fit for Purpose Wildfire Readiness Act of 2025
Original cosponsor · Signed on February 6, 2025 · Not yet rated

Bills and cosponsors from the congress.gov API, read October 26, 2026. A bill is rated only when a named person approves a rating that quotes its provision; none of these has one yet.

Padilla's committees

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Energy; Public Lands, Forests, and Mining; Water and Power
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety; Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water; Transportation and Infrastructure
Joint Committee of Congress on the Library
Joint Committee on Printing
Senate Committee on Rules and Administration (Ranking Member)
Senate Committee on the Budget
Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Border Security and Immigration (Ranking Member); Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights; Privacy, Technology, and the Law; the Constitution

Committee seats from unitedstates/congress-legislators, read July 3, 2026.

Public lands in California

1,260 federal land units lie in or reach into California. Parks with a More Than Just Parks guide: Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Yosemite National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Redwood National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Pinnacles National Park.

Listed park guides first, then by size; the largest 40 of 1,260 are named.

Death Valley National Park 3,270,447 acres
Joshua Tree National Park 784,201 acres
Yosemite National Park 742,953 acres
Kings Canyon National Park 459,216 acres
Sequoia National Park 406,662 acres
Channel Islands National Park 245,685 acres
Redwood National Park 115,640 acres
Lassen Volcanic National Park 107,423 acres
Pinnacles National Park 26,696 acres
Needles Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 3,289,455 acres
Death Valley Wilderness Area 3,144,801 acres
Barstow Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 2,724,306 acres
Inyo National Forest 1,842,276 acres
Ridgecrest Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 1,797,503 acres
Los Padres National Forest 1,774,285 acres
Mojave Trails National Monument 1,755,942 acres
Palm Springs/S. Coast Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 1,694,360 acres
Modoc National Forest 1,679,907 acres
Klamath National Forest 1,647,749 acres
Mojave National Preserve 1,497,876 acres
El Centro Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 1,338,851 acres
Sierra National Forest 1,311,102 acres
Plumas National Forest 1,192,379 acres
Shasta National Forest 1,185,779 acres
Sequoia National Forest 1,139,906 acres
Lassen National Forest 1,068,351 acres
Trinity National Forest 1,056,809 acres
Six Rivers National Forest 977,951 acres
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary 940,001 acres
Mendocino National Forest 929,122 acres
Chemehuevi Area of Critical Environmental Concern Bureau of Land Management · 924,163 acres
Stanislaus National Forest 901,334 acres
Tahoe National Forest 895,359 acres
Mojave Wilderness Area 783,959 acres
Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness Area 768,352 acres
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms Defense Department · 761,588 acres
Fort Irwin 755,343 acres
Bishop Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 751,921 acres
Yosemite Wilderness Area 704,200 acres
Eldorado National Forest 703,163 acres

Fires burning on public land in California

Soda Fire 14 acres, updated October 20, 2026
Cooley Fire 1,365 acres, 95% contained, updated October 26, 2026
Timber Fire 25,350 acres, 97% contained, updated October 10, 2026

Drilling, mining and logging on record in California: 7,140 hardrock mining claims (233,770 acres); 2,665 timber sales (149,523 acres); 373 oil and gas leases (106,976 acres); 112 sand and gravel sales (16,636 acres); 55 geothermal leases (68,126 acres).

Threatened public lands in California

Federal land units from PAD-US, matched to the state's districts in the More Than Just Parks record, refreshed October 21, 2026; acres are each unit's full size, and units overlap, so they are not added up. Easements on private land are left out. Fires from NIFC; mining claims, leases and timber sales from BLM and Forest Service records; read October 26, 2026.

Who funds Padilla on lands issues

PACs and other committees gave Padilla's campaign $210,000 in the 2025-26 cycle. Across the 4 cycles on record, oil, gas, mining and timber PACs gave nothing, and conservation PACs gave $36,055.

Cycle	All PACs and committees	Oil and gas	Mining and coal	Timber	Conservation
2019-20	$74,700	none	none	none	none
2021-22	$2,387,774	none	none	none	$34,055
2023-24	$214,087	none	none	none	none
2025-26	$210,000	none	none	none	$2,000

Itemized contributions from committees to the candidate (FEC S2CA00955), net of refunds, read October 26, 2026. Industry is the giving PAC's industry in the More Than Just Parks record. A contribution says who gave, not why anyone voted as they did.

How Padilla compares

The median senator scores 5%. Padilla scores 95% and ranks #16 (tied) of 98.

More from California

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What to ask Padilla

Washington office: 331 Hart Senate Office Building. Phone (202) 224-3553. Write to Padilla · Official site

From Padilla's own record:

Why did you vote Yea on Burgum Confirmation (PN11-3)?

Offices and phones from the Senate and House member feeds and unitedstates/congress-legislators, checked October 22, 2026.

Questions people ask

How did Alex Padilla vote on One Big Beautiful Bill?

Alex Padilla voted Nay on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1) on July 1, 2025. The Senate vote was 50 to 50, and the scorecard counts Nay as the vote for public lands.

Is Alex Padilla up for election in 2026?

No. Alex Padilla's Senate seat from California is not on the 2026 ballot. Padilla's grade on the 19 scored Senate votes so far is an A.

What public lands are in California?

1,260 federal land units lie in or reach into California. The largest are Needles Field Office (3,289,455 acres), Death Valley National Park (3,270,447 acres) and Death Valley Wilderness Area (3,144,801 acres).