In today's newscast:
North Coast land goes back to tribes
California is preparing to return 136 acres of land in Mendocino County to three of the region’s native tribes. It’s the latest state effort to transfer ancestral lands to native communities.
CalTrans has owned parts of the land near Blues Beach on the North coast for decades. Now the state’s going to transfer ownership to Kai Poma, a nonprofit representing three local tribes.
Kai Poma Chairman, Eddie Knight, says his community will use the land to harvest food and medicine and hold cultural ceremonies.
"Nowadays it’s important for us to put that land back to use so that we can have the future generations know that where they come from," Knight said.
The law requires the nonprofit to use the land for natural preservation and prohibits any use for gambling, which Knight says won’t be a problem.
"Why would we want to put a casino there? I mean, that’s … you know … we can’t help but laugh about it," he said.
The land transfer is set to be finalized in the next two months. California’s returned just over 100,000 acres to native communities since 2024.
That reporting from our partner, CapRadio.
Trestle presents trail challenge in San José
A historic railroad bridge is complicating efforts to build a long-planned bike and pedestrian trail east of downtown San José.
City parks officials are breaking up plans for the Five Wounds Trail into four segments... partly to preserve the Coyote Creek train trestle. And, they’re putting segment one, with the trestle, on hold.
But Save Our Trails president Keith Ball says there's no guarantee the city will maintain the bridge in the meantime.
"What we want to make sure doesn't happen (is) that the city neglects the trestle," he said, "so that by the time they come back to segment one, there's less of a strong word for a solid and stable historical artifact.
The historic trestle in Capitola has also been a challenge for trail planners.
That reporting from our partner KQED.