Thanks to a commission backed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the state is transferring 136 acres of premium state-owned coastline to…indigenous peoples.
A beloved stretch of California’s rugged coastline is headed back to Indigenous stewardship after a Gavin Newsom-backed state commission approved the transfer of a popular Mendocino County beach to three Indigenous tribes.The 136-acre property, encompassing Blues Beach and the dramatic coastal bluffs just south of the community of Westport, will be transferred to Kai Poma, a nonprofit representing the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Round Valley Indian Tribes and Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.The California Transportation Commission gave the deal its final regulatory approval on June 26, making it the first time land managed by the California Department of Transportation has been returned to Indigenous tribes.The state originally acquired the windswept shoreline and rocky cliffs in the 1960s to support the expansion of Highway 1 and establish a scenic overlook for motorists, according to a California Coastal Commission report.
The arrangement reportedly bars commercial activity on the property and requires continued public access.
Supporters say the transfer will protect one of the region’s most scenic stretches of coast while returning sacred land to the descendants of the people who historically stewarded it.”This is beyond huge,” Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians Chair J. Carlos Rivera told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s enormous from our tribal perspective that we are basically obtaining the land that our people once lived on before colonization.”With the commission’s approval complete, Caltrans staff are expected to record the deed transferring the property from the state to Kai Poma.
The deal goes back to 2021, after Newsom signed Senate Bill 231, which specifically granted Caltrans authority to transfer the Blues Beach property to a nonprofit organized by the three local tribes.
Five years later, the transfer is underway with Kai Poma, a nonprofit organized by tribes with ancestral ties to the region — Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Round Valley Indian Tribes, and Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, according to Caltrans.During the transfer, Caltrans said they will close Blues Beach to vehicles, in cooperation with Kai Poma and the California Coastal Commission. Pedestrian access will still be available.Caltrans said once the transfer is complete, Kai Poma will own and maintain the 136-acre site, protecting “sensitive natural resources and Native American cultural resources.”
As an NGO, Kai Poma is categorized in nonprofit records under “Environmental Quality, Protection and Beautification / Natural Resources Conservation and Protection,” with tax‑deductible status as a charitable organization.
In classic Sacramento fashion, a feel‑good land transfer wrapped in environmental virtue and historical justice still warrants scrutiny, especially when an NGO sits at the center of the deal and political fingerprints are all over its origin.
Tax‑advantaged nonprofits, allied policymakers, and regulatory agencies can form a tidy ecosystem in which oversight grows hazy and accountability becomes optional unless the public pays close attention.
And if “guaranteed access” quietly erodes over time, Californians may discover too late that what was promised as stewardship ends up looking a lot more like exclusion.
The developments related to this deal are likely to be part of the 2028 political landscape as well. Americans in other states generally don’t like large swaths of land given away, especially to NGOs.
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