JAMUL, CA – The Jamul Indian Village of California celebrated the passage of S. 3857, the Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act, last week with Congressional and local elected officials, tribal leaders, elders and members. S. 3857 facilitated the historic return of 172.10 acres in Jamul to the tribe.
The federal action, which took the land in trust, was the result of Congressional legislation authored in the House of Representatives by Congressman Darrell Issa and co-sponsored by Congressman Juan Vargas and in the Senate by Senator Alex Padilla and former Senator Laphonsa Butler. The Act takes four parcels of 172.1 acres of land in Jamul, CA, into federal trust on behalf of the tribe. The acquisition of these lands into federal trust increases the size of the tribe’s existing reservation from just six acres to over 178 acres. The Act was signed into law by then President Joe Biden on December 23, 2024.
S. 3857 is an essential step toward the tribe’s goals of expanding economic development opportunities, providing improved government operations, and enhancing the quality of life for its people.
The tribe commemorated the historic occasion with a fee-to-trust celebration on one of the parcels taken into trust pursuant to the Act, which was once known as the Barrett property. Tribal Chairwoman Erica M. Pinto delivered remarks, along with Congressman Darrell Issa, State Senator Brian Jones, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.
“The tribe has worked long and hard to create the resources necessary to buy land in our ancestral homeland,” said Chairwoman Pinto. “With the passage of the bill and the land brought back into trust, we can now focus on new opportunities to build our community back.”
The ceremony included a land blessing, stories of how tribal members used to work on the land and closed with a traditional bird song. The property includes the Barrett House, which will be restored, and will be the site of commercial and community opportunities on the frontage and residential housing for tribal members on the remainder.
“This is about government doing the right thing for our tribal community,” said Congressman Issa in congratulating the tribe. “Helping create an opportunity that allows tribal families to live together on land they historically called home is an honor.”
