Bill > AB971

This bill aims to return ancestral lands to the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians by requiring the Department of General Services to quitclaim (transfer ownership) to the tribe, at no cost, all state-owned lands within the San Pasqual Battlefield State Park, which total approximately 3.68 acres. The bill provides historical context for the tribe's displacement, noting that they were forcibly removed from their original lands in the San Pasqual Valley through various government actions dating back to the 1870s. Additionally, the bill encourages the City of San Diego to transfer its own lands within the state park to the tribe and stipulates that if the city agrees, the state will relinquish all of its remaining rights and interests in those lands. The legislation is motivated by recognizing past wrongs against Native Americans, as referenced in Executive Order No. N-15-19, which apologized for the state's historical maltreatment of tribes. The bill emphasizes that the land transfer serves a public purpose by allowing the tribe to create a public park that will educate people about their history and contributions, and therefore does not constitute an inappropriate gift of public funds.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB971