Sponsors (2)
The bill significantly strengthens the Pechanga Band's land base and protects cultural and natural resources by placing ~860 acres into trust, at the trade‑off of limiting gaming revenue potential and reducing some federal public land uses and future economic development flexibility.
About 860 acres are placed into trust for the Pechanga Band, expanding tribal landholdings and strengthening tribal sovereignty and self‑determination.
The transferred land will be preserved as open space, protecting archaeological, cultural, and wildlife resources on those 860 acres.
Existing encumbrances, easements, and water/service agreements are preserved, reducing disruption to current rights‑holders and local governments that rely on those arrangements.
The law prohibits Class II and III gaming on the newly placed trust land, limiting the Tribe's ability to generate casino gaming revenue from that acreage.
Converting Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land to trust status reduces the amount of publicly managed federal land available for BLM uses and public access in Riverside County.
Open‑space and cultural‑resource restrictions on the trust land may limit future economic development opportunities for the Tribe or nearby communities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Transfers ~860 acres of BLM land in Riverside County into trust for the Pechanga Band, adds it to the tribe’s reservation for open-space and cultural/wildlife preservation, and bars Class II/III gaming.
Introduced March 11, 2026 by Alejandro Padilla · Last progress March 11, 2026
Transfers about 860 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in Riverside County, California, into trust for the Pechanga Band of Indians and adds that land to the tribe’s reservation. The land must remain open space, is limited to uses that protect and preserve archaeological, cultural, and wildlife resources, remains subject to existing encumbrances and service agreements, preserves existing water rights, and is expressly barred from Class II or Class III gaming.