SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 7 (Santa Rosa News Online) — California has finalized the transfer of 136 acres of Blues Beach and surrounding bluffs in Mendocino County to Kai Poma, a nonprofit founded by representatives of three Northern California tribes, clearing the last regulatory step for a state land move tied to a 2021 law.
The parcel sits just south of Westport on the Mendocino Coast and is state land managed by Caltrans. According to the California Senate and the California Coastal Commission correspondence on the project, the transfer was authorized under SB 231, legislation sponsored by state Sen. Mike McGuire and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021.
The California Transportation Commission approved the transfer on June 26, according to the Los Angeles Times, which cited Neil Thapar, an attorney and legal consultant to Kai Poma. The Times reported that Caltrans staff will next record the deed.
The Senate said SB 231 requires the land to remain open to public access, bars commercial activity and limits use to natural habitat, environmental protection and protection of Native American cultural resources.
McGuire said in a Senate release that he began working with local tribes and community members on the effort in 2019. He called the move historic and said returning the land would help protect sacred sites at Blues Beach.
In a March 31 letter to the Coastal Commission, McGuire supported coastal development permit application 1-24-0662 for the transfer to Kai Poma.
The tribes involved are the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Round Valley Indian Tribes and Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.