Padilla, Schiff Introduce Bill to Transfer Land to Pechanga Band of Indians

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced legislation to transfer 860 acres of land from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) into trust for the Pechanga Band of Indians. Representative Darrell Issa (R-Calif.-48) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

The Pechanga Band of Indians is a federally recognized Tribe whose ancestors have been living in the Temecula Valley for over 10,000 years. After being forced out of their ancestral home, Teméeku, in 1875, the Tribe rebuilt and reestablished their homes nearby, which later became the federally recognized Pechanga Indian Reservation in 1882. Currently, the Pechanga Reservation is roughly 7,000 acres.

"The Pechanga Band of Indians have fought for years to rebuild and unify their ancestral home to ensure territory near their Reservation is cared for in line with the Tribe's cultural traditions and land management practices," said Senator Padilla. "I am honored to work with the Tribe and across the aisle in this effort to transfer 860 acres of federal land to support restoration efforts, better protect culturally significant sites, and improve environmental monitoring and natural resource management on land that the Pechanga have called home for over 10,000 years."

"After being pushed out of their ancestral home, the Pechanga Band of Indians have fought to regain land to better protect, preserve, and restore sites sacred to the Tribe. I'm proud to join Senator Padilla and Representative Issa in this bipartisan effort to support them," said Senator Schiff.

"On behalf of the Pechanga Band of Indians, I extend our deep gratitude to Senator Padilla for introducing Pechanga's Land Transfer bill in the United States Senate. This legislation marks an important step toward restoring a portion of our ancestral lands and reunifies our sacred Pu'éska Mountain. For Pechanga it fulfills a longstanding endeavor to protect sacred and cultural resources; strengthening our self-determination as a sovereign Tribal nation," said Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro.

Pechanga has worked to acquire and unify isolated parcels of land nearby and adjacent to the Reservation under federal and private ownership to better protect, preserve, and restore sites sacred to the Tribe. These various land transfers have also allowed for improved environmental monitoring and natural resource management.

Pechanga fought against a proposed open-pit mine quarry that would have caused air pollution across the Temecula Valley and destroyed a mountain sacred to the Tribe known as Wexéwxi Pu'éska, or Pu'éska Mountain. This led the Tribe to purchase Pu'éska Mountain in 2012, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs put it into trust in 2015. The Tribe is now seeking to place into trust 860 acres of BLM-managed land near Pu'éska Mountain in order to preserve it in a culturally appropriate manner.

Senator Padilla is a strong advocate for restoring Tribal ownership of ancestral lands. Last year, Padilla and Schiff announced a trio of bipartisan, bicameral bills to promote Tribal management of over 2,000 acres of land in California by transferring federal land to the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, the Pit River Tribe, and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. In 2024, the Senate passed of a pair of Padilla's bills to support the restoration of Tribal lands for the Jamul Indian Village and the Lytton Rancheria of California, the first of which became law. In 2023, President Biden signed into law a series of Padilla's bills to restore Tribal stewardship of sacred lands and ensure that our federal land management laws respect Tribal sovereignty. The package included laws to take more than 2,500 acres of land in the San Jacinto Mountains into trust for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, to place roughly 1,000 acres of federal land located in Humboldt and Siskiyou counties into trust for the Karuk Tribe, and to permit BLM to sell and lease certain public lands to Tribes below market value if used for recreational or public purposes. Furthermore, in 2024, Padilla and Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen Tribal parity for the transfer of surplus federal property to Tribes if used for specified public purposes.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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