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- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Real Estate
A California tribe has proposed taking over management of the San Francisco Presidio if a federal trust that’s in the Trump administration's crosshairs is dissolved, according to a formal request sent to the White House.
In February, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14217, titled “Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.” The order specifically targets, among others, the Presidio Trust, a federal organization launched in 1996 through a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to oversee the 1,500-acre park that formerly served as a military base.
Short of intervention by a court or Congress, the Trust appears poised to be dissolved. The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of California has asked Trump to return the land to them in the aftermath, according to a press release and letter from the tribe. The tribe, which is not federally recognized, wrote that they’ve been seeking the return of the land, which is part of its ancestral homeland, since the site’s Army base was decommissioned in 1992. (Unlike some states, California does not have a recognition authority or process for state-recognized tribes.)
“We see this as much more than just one opportunity to make the federal government more efficient,” the tribe wrote. “Our People see this as an enormous and historic opportunity to acknowledge injustices faced by California Indians, and would constitute the boldest #LandBack act of rematriation in American history.”
The tribe writes that transferring the park to its stewardship would reduce government spending, elevate the Presidio as a tourist destination, and “symbolize a commitment to reconciliation and respect for Indigenous sovereignty.”
In a statement, Muwekma Ohlone outlined a contentious history with Pelosi and the late Democratic Sen. Diane Feinstein, pointing to opposition for the tribe’s recognition as well as its stewardship of the Presidio.
Under a new administration, President Trump could turn the tribe’s fortunes, said Chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh in a statement.
“This is an opportunity for President Trump to do what the state of California has failed to do,” Nijmeh said. “Not only will returning the Presidio to Indigenous care be the right thing for our people and for the land, but it will also save the federal government — and taxpayers — money.”
