Turtle Talk

Here is the order:

9.25.20-Native-Ancestral-Lands-Policy

David Sandino commentary on this order here:

The first people of California occupied the state tens of thousands of years before European contact. The entire state of California was Tribal lands. Slowly but surely, the lands were taken away from the Tribes, first by the Spanish government, next by the Mexican government, next by the U.S. after the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and finally by California after it became a state in 1850. In the 1850’s, the U.S. negotiated 18 treaties with some of the Tribes, reserving about 9 percent of the state for these Tribal nations. However, the treaties were opposed by California senators, never ratified by the Senate, and hidden from public view by the Senate for 50 years. In recognition of these past injustices, on September 25, Governor Newsom issued a Statement of Administration Policy giving Native Americans the opportunity to access, co-manage, and acquire lands now owned by the state. The state has substantial land holdings under the jurisdiction of the State Lands Commission and other state agencies. California’s largest landowner by far is the federal government, owning 46% of the state.