LONG BEACH : Court Upholds Ban on Developing Ancient Site
The California Court of Appeal this week upheld a Superior Court ruling that temporarily blocked Cal State Long Beach from developing a university-owned parcel of land considered sacred to Native Americans.
University officials last year unveiled preliminary plans to build shops and faculty housing on the 2.2-acre site, which was once inhabited by the Gabrielinos and is revered as the birthplace of their deity. Those plans were stymied when Native Americans protested and sued the university, saying that the development would desecrate a holy site.
Superior Court Judge Stephen E. O’Neil agreed, and in September prohibited the university from excavating the site until a hearing could determine the cultural and historical value of the land. The university appealed the ruling, arguing that a state law protecting sacred Native American sites was unconstitutional because it favored a particular religion. A final trial date has not been set.
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