ICYMI: Newsom administration advances historic return of Blues Beach to local tribal stewardship 

California first acquired the section of cliffside and shoreline in the 1960s as part of a plan to create scenic overlooks and recreational opportunities along Highway 1. 

“Thanks to Governor Newsom’s leadership and Senator McGuire’s legislation, this transfer acknowledges the deep cultural, historical, and ecological significance of this 136-acre property to local tribes and advances long-standing efforts to return stewardship responsibilities to tribal communities,” said California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin 

Generations of visitors have come to the beach for recreation and sightseeing, and that history will continue under tribal stewardship. Caltrans will keep an easement for future maintenance. Once transferred, Kai Poma will manage the site in keeping with its cultural, environmental, and public access commitments.

In 2019, Governor Newsom issued the first formal apology on behalf of the State of California to California Native American peoples at the future site of the California Indian Heritage Center. In that moment, he also announced the creation of the California Truth and Healing Council, charged with examining the historical relationship between the state and tribal communities and recommending steps toward truth, healing, and repair. Since then, the Council, led by Secretary Snider-Ashtari, has worked with tribal communities to record and better understand the historical relationship between the state and California Native Americans. Through collaborative and consultative work of the Council, the Governor’s Office of Tribal Affairs, and tribes across the state, the state has developed a number of programs and initiatives that place tribal partnership at the heart of land conservation, climate resilience, and cultural preservation, such as:

In 2020, the Governor directed state agencies to support California tribes’ co‑management of and access to natural lands that are within a California tribe’s ancestral land and under the ownership or control of the State of California. That directive, paired with record investments to tribes, has enabled California tribes to access and steward forests, rangelands, rivers, and coastline.

Through the administration’s Tribal Nature-Based Solutions grant program, and many other conservation grant programs, the state has awarded over $200 million to fund the return of over 100,000 acres of land to California Native American tribes, including

• The Hoopa Valley Tribe’s acquisition of 10,395 acres of forested property, returning Hupa Mountain to tribal stewardship.  
• The Tule River Tribe’s acquisition of 14,672 acres of land to support tribal environmental and species conservation. 
• The Washoe Tribe’s acquisition of 10,274 acres of land to support the Tribe’s environmental and cultural priorities, including restoring the biodiversity and watershed.
•   The Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel’s acquisition of 1,107 acres, to support the Tribe’s environmental and cultural priorities.