Sponsor
Darrell Issa
Representative · R-CA
Representative · R-CA
The bill transfers ~860 acres into trust for the Pechanga Band, protecting cultural and natural resources and preserving existing rights, while trading off local land-use control, future development flexibility, and potential tribal gaming revenue.
Pechanga Band of Indians (the Tribe) gains about 860 acres added to their reservation, increasing tribal land base and jurisdictional authority over that area.
Local residents and ecosystems benefit because the land must be maintained as open space, protecting cultural, archaeological, and wildlife resources.
Homeowners, small businesses, and utilities keep existing private and public rights (easements, leases, water service agreements), reducing disruption to current services and property interests.
The Tribe and nearby communities lose potential revenue and jobs because Class II and III gaming are prohibited on the new trust land, limiting a major economic development option.
Local governments and residents face reduced land-use control because placing the parcel into trust shifts regulatory authority to federal/tribal jurisdiction, limiting local input on planning and enforcement.
Local communities and infrastructure providers may be constrained because open-space and construction limits on the parcel could restrict future development or utility/infrastructure projects.
Based on analysis of 1 section of legislative text.
About 860 acres of BLM land in Riverside County are taken into federal trust for the Pechanga Band of Indians, made part of its reservation, with a gaming ban and open-space protections.
Places about 860 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in Riverside County, California into federal trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians. The land becomes part of the Tribe’s reservation, must be maintained as open space and protect archaeological, cultural, and wildlife resources, remains subject to existing rights and encumbrances, and is explicitly barred from Class II or III gaming. The land will be administered under federal trust law, may include utilities or limited structures only if consistent with open-space and resource protection, and a dated map of the lands must be kept on file for public inspection.
Official title: To take certain land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pechanga Band of Indians, and for other purposes.
Introduced October 3, 2025 by Darrell Issa · Last progress June 3, 2026