Saratoga, California — California is close to finishing a years-long effort to transfer 136 acres of the Blues Beach shoreline and nearby Mendocino County bluffs to tribal stewardship, state officials said Friday. The California Transportation Commission has approved the transfer to Kai Poma, a nonprofit established by three local Native American tribes, with final administrative steps expected within two months.
Saratoga, a town in the hills of Santa Clara County in the San Francisco Bay Area, is part of a state where coastal stewardship and the restoration of tribal lands have become recurring themes in state policy.
"Ancestral lands hold profound importance to California Indian communities. The legacy of forced relocation continues to affect tribal families, and the protection of homelands remains essential for cultural continuity," said Kai Poma Chairman Eddie Knight.