SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 7 (Santa Rosa News Online) — California will transfer 136 acres of Blues Beach and surrounding Mendocino County bluffs to Kai Poma, the nonprofit founded by representatives of three Pomo tribes, after the California Transportation Commission gave the deal final approval June 26.
The property sits just south of Westport on the Mendocino Coast and is state land managed by Caltrans. The Los Angeles Times reported that the move is the first time Caltrans-managed land has been returned to Indigenous tribes.
The transfer was made possible by SB 231, a 2021 bill sponsored by state Sen. Mike McGuire and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Under the law, the land must remain open to public access, cannot be used for commercial activity and is limited to habitat, environmental protection and Native American cultural resource protection.
McGuire said in a statement that returning the property was “the right thing to do” and called the transfer “a historic day.” In comments quoted by the Los Angeles Times, he said, “With 136 acres now officially transferred into tribal stewardship, one of the most spectacular stretches of the Mendocino Coast will be forever protected” and added, “And it’s about damn time.”
Caltrans staff are next expected to record the deed transferring title from the state to Kai Poma.
