California returns stretch of coast to Indigenous tribes. 'This is beyond huge'

[riversedge]

California returns stretch of coast to Indigenous tribes. ‘This is beyond huge’

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-07-02/california-returns-stretch-of-coast-to-indigenous-tribes-who-consider-it-sacred

By Alex Wigglesworth July 2, 2026 7:22 PM PT



California will transfer 136 acres of Blues Beach and Mendocino County bluffs to
the nonprofit Kai Poma.
The move marks the first time Caltrans-managed land has been returned to Indigenous tribes.

California is returning a stretch of rugged Mendocino County coast to the Indigenous nations whose ancestors once stewarded its shores.

State transportation officials recently approved the transfer of Blues Beach and the surrounding bluffs to Kai Poma, a nonprofit founded by representatives of the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Round Valley Indian Tribes and Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.

The transfer of 136 acres just south of the community of Westport will mark the first time land managed by the California Department of Transportation has been returned to Indigenous tribes.
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“This is beyond huge,” said J. Carlos Rivera, tribal chairman of the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians. “It’s enormous from our tribal perspective that we are basically obtaining the land that our people once lived on before colonization.”

California purchased the swath of rocky cliffs and windswept shoreline in the 1960s to expand the construction of Highway 1 and create a scenic viewpoint for highway travelers, according to a California Coastal Commission report.

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https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/45e8fe7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x775+0+0/resize/1200x727!/format/webp/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F38%2F60%2Fcb40be5845fb98c44d91abc0d317%2Fla-me-blues-beach-return.JPG
A wide-angle view of a coastal bluff
Blues Beach near Westport in Mendocino County and surrounding bluffs have been transferred to Indigenous tribes, who consider the entire parcel sacred. (Caltrans)