California Tribes vs. City: Hidden Valley Ranch Dispute

0:00The California Attorney General and the San Pascual Band of Mission Indians just filed lawsuits against the city of Poway over a housing project called Hidden Valley Ranch. They claimed the city broke the California Environmental Quality Act by pushing forward without a fresh environmental review after finding ancestral. Human remains and tons of tribal artifacts on the site. Back in 2003, Poway approved an environmental impact report for the project, but since then, workers have uncovered more than eight thousand cultural items like tools and pottery. Last October, they found what looks like a child's cremated bones, and last month two more sets of ancestral remains turned up, yet no new review happened. The tribe's chairman, Steve Cope, says they're not trying to kill the project, but one real respect for their ancestors, heritage and the lands. Cultural value. Meanwhile, Poway says they followed all state laws, including notifying tribes, and they've had a tribal monitor onsite every day since construction,

1:01started last year. The city feels blindsided by the suits after months of talks with the AG's office, and they can't stop work because developer Shay Holmes is fully compliant. Attorney General Rob Bonta fire back, stressing that development needs to honor tribal sites and follow the rules. This clash highlights the tension between growth and protecting sacred ground, and both sides say they're open to talking it out for a fair fix. This has been California News Today, powered by AI.