SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 7 (Santa Rosa News Online) — California has transferred 136 acres of Blues Beach and nearby Mendocino County bluffs to Kai Poma, a nonprofit formed by representatives of three Pomo tribes, after the California Transportation Commission gave final approval June 26, according to the Los Angeles Times and state records.
The state-owned parcel is just south of Westport on the Mendocino Coast. The Los Angeles Times reported that it is the first time Caltrans-managed land has been returned to Indigenous tribes.
The transfer was made possible by SB 231, a bill sponsored by state Sen. Mike McGuire and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021. The California Senate said the law gave Caltrans authority it did not previously have to transfer the land to the tribal nonprofit.
Under SB 231, the land must remain open to public access, cannot be used for commercial activity and is limited to natural habitat, environmental protection and protection of Native American cultural resources, according to the Senate release and McGuire’s March 31, 2025 letter to the California Coastal Commission.
McGuire said in the Senate release that the move was “a historic day” and said returning the land was “the right thing to do.” He said it would support “enhanced stewardship, historical preservation and protection of sacred sites at the Blues Beach property.”
Neil Thapar, an attorney and adviser to Kai Poma, told the Los Angeles Times that Caltrans staff will next record the deed transferring title from the state to the nonprofit.
McGuire said in the Los Angeles Times report, “it’s about damn time.”
