Court orders Corona to halt project after Native burial site discovery
California judge sides with tribes seeking protection for ancestral remains uncovered during wastewater construction
A California county court has ordered the City of Corona to stop work on a wastewater expansion project after Native American remains were unearthed at the construction site, according to Native News Online. According to the Riverside County Coroner confirmed the report to be prehistoric Native American remains. The California Native American Heritage Commission identified the ancestors as most likely belonging to the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, along with the Kizh Nation, Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians and the Pechanga Band of Indians.
The affected tribes concluded the area should be treated as a cemetery, the remains reinterred and further construction avoided, according to Native News Online reporting. After the city argued it could proceed under earlier recommendations from the Kizh Nation, tribes sought a preliminary injunction in 2023. Mark Macarro, chairman of the Pechanga Band of Indians, called the ruling a victory. "Today's ruling affirms what we have known for generations — these grounds are sacred, and the remains of our ancestors deserve the full protection of the law," he said in a press release.
- 1.Elyse Wild. City Ordered to Stop a Construction Project Four Years After Unearthing a Native Burial Ground. Native News Online.
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