Caltrans to Repatriate Native Remains from LA Roadsides
Published Date: 12/16/2025
Notice
Summary
Caltrans District 7 in Los Angeles has finished checking and identifying two sets of Native American human remains found during a highway project. These remains are linked to local tribes and can be returned starting January 15, 2026. If you want to request the remains, you’ll need to contact Caltrans by then—no money changes hands, just respect and care for history.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Repatriation Available Starting Jan 15, 2026
Caltrans District 7 says the identified Native American human remains can be returned to claimants on or after January 15, 2026. If you represent a requesting party, you must contact Caltrans to request repatriation starting on that date.
Affiliation Identified: Santa Ynez Chumash
Caltrans determined there is a cultural affiliation between the two individuals and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the Santa Ynez Reservation, California. That identification is the stated basis for repatriation consideration.
Who May Request Repatriation and How
Written repatriation requests must be sent to Caltrans District 7 (Caprice Harper, 100 Main Street, 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012, email [email protected]). Requests may be submitted by the tribes identified in the notice, any lineal descendant, or another tribe or Native Hawaiian organization that shows by a preponderance of the evidence it is affiliated. If competing requests are received, Caltrans will decide the most appropriate requestor; joint requests count as a single request.
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