A popular stretch of California’s Mendocino County coastline is being handed over to an Indigenous peoples group after a Gov.Gavin Newsom-backed state commission approved the transfer of 136 acres of beach and coastal bluffs.The property, which includes Blues Beach just south of Westport, will be transferred from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) 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.Caltrans gave final regulatory approval to the deal on June 26."For the first time in California’s history, land managed by Caltrans and owned by the state was transferred to Kai Poma, a nonprofit established by three local Native American tribes with ancestral ties to the region," Caltrans District 1 announced in a statement last week.
"Once transferred, Kai Poma will own and maintain the 136-acre site and protect sensitive natural resources and Native American cultural resources."NEWSOM'S CALIFORNIA RAIL PROJECT NOW EXPECTED TO COST $126B, OFFICIAL ADMITS, WITH STILL NO TRACKS LAIDOnce transferred, Kai Poma will own and maintain the 136-acre site and protect sensitive natural resources and Native American cultural resources that includes Blues Beach in California.(Caltrans)The state acquired the windswept shoreline and rocky bluffs in the 1960s as part of plans tied to Highway 1 expansion and the creation of a scenic overlook for motorists, according to the California Coastal Commission.In recent years, the beach has drawn large summer and holiday crowds, with public access largely unregulated.
State planning documents say visitors have camped and partied on the beach, driven through sensitive areas, damaged cultural resources and left trash behind.NEWSOM TELLS GEORGIA CROWD, 'I AM LIKE YOU...I'M A 960 SAT GUY'The Blues Beach Project turns over a portion of the Mendocino, California, coast to three tribes.
(Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocke...