Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tribal Land topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances bill to transfer San Pasqual Battlefield land to San Pasqual Band
Summary
AB 27 70 would transfer about 3.68 acres within San Pasqual Battlefield State Park at no cost to the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians; tribal members and counsel said the land includes ancestral burial grounds and the tribe plans public stewardship. The subcommittee moved the bill to appropriations.
Assemblymember Alvarez presented AB 27 70, saying the measure would transfer roughly 3.68 acres within San Pasqual Battlefield State Park to the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians at no cost and that the parcel contains a tribal cemetery. "Returning this land to the tribe is about empowering the original stewards of this valley," Alvarez said.
Robert Phelps, who identified himself as a San Pasqual Band member and a retired history professor, described the site's historical importance, the tribe's disrupted reservation history and how returning even a few acres would reconnect the people to their ancestral lands and burial sites. "This is a matter of great importance to the San Pasqual people," Phelps said.
Legal counsel and supporters noted the state park parcel is closed and dilapidated; the tribe plans to invest in upkeep and operate the site as a publicly accessible tribal park honoring local history. No witnesses in opposition spoke on the record. The subcommittee moved AB 27 70 as amended to the Appropriations Committee.
