Sponsor
Darrell Issa
Representative · R-CA
Representative · R-CA
The bill places ~836 acres into trust for the Barona Tribe—strengthening tribal sovereignty and preserving emergency and many existing access rights—while shifting tax revenue and restricting certain economic uses (gaming) on the parcels, creating trade-offs between tribal self-determination, public access, local revenue, and potential economic development.
Rural communities and emergency responders retain required emergency access for BLM and Forest Service personnel, preserving wildfire response and search-and-rescue authorities on the parcels.
The Barona Band gains ~836 acres placed into trust and added to its reservation, strengthening tribal sovereignty and the Tribe's self-governance over that land.
Existing public recreational, scenic, scientific, and motorized trail access that exists at enactment is preserved, allowing continued public use of trails and roads present at the time the land is placed into trust.
Local governments and taxpayers may lose property tax revenue because the parcels will be taken into trust and removed from local tax rolls, reducing funds for local services.
Recreational users and rural residents may see reduced public access if the Tribe adopts rules that limit entry to areas that were previously accessible, subject to consultation.
The prohibition on Class II and III gaming prevents the Tribe from using these parcels for casino-driven economic development, limiting potential revenue, jobs, and economic opportunities tied to gaming on that land.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Places three specified parcels (~836.21 acres) into federal trust for the Barona Tribe, adds them to the reservation, preserves existing rights and access, and bans Class II/III gaming on those lands.
Official title: To take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians of the Barona Reservation, California, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 23, 2026 by Darrell Issa · Last progress April 23, 2026
Transfers three specified parcels of land (about 836 acres total) into federal trust for the Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians, making the land part of the Tribe’s reservation and subject to U.S. trust-land law while preserving existing rights and access. The transferred land is expressly barred from Class II and Class III gaming and does not change existing water rights or service agreements.