Native News
San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians Files Lawsuit Against City of Poway Over Hidden Valley Ranch Development
The San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians has filed a lawsuit against the City of Poway in the San Diego County Central Division Court, alleging violations of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) tied to the Hidden Valley Ranch luxury housing development. The legal action follows a series of discoveries at the construction site, including ancestral human remains, burial items, and significant tribal cultural resources.
The lawsuit comes just days after California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a separate suit against the City of Poway, also citing CEQA violations related to the same project.
According to the Tribe, concerns began immediately when construction activities started in October 2025. On the first day of site clearing by developer Shea Homes, tribal monitors identified the bone of an ancestor protruding from the ground, along with other culturally significant materials. In March 2026, two additional sets of ancestral remains were discovered in different areas of the property.
In total, thousands of items described in the lawsuit as “grave goods” — due to their association with burial sites — have been found across the development area. The Tribe now believes the site represents not just a village, but a tribal funerary complex and sacred place.
“The San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, a federally recognized and sovereign Indian nation, seeks to protect San Pasqual Valley and its People – ‘Emuu Kallkall – Pamuu – Ewiiy Hellyaa – Paawii – which incorporates the City of Poway in San Diego County, California, part of our ancestral and reservation lands,” said Steve Cope, Chairman of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians. “San Pasqual Valley is a cultural heritage resource comprised of Tribal ceremonial and funerary sites, and a living, interdependent ecosystem that connects us through our ancestors’ deep time and deep space practices of movement, pause, and return. These suits do not seek to stop the project, but to ensure full consideration and redress of its adverse impacts, including on our heritage, ancestors, funerary items, environmental integrity, and culturally and religiously important resources throughout the area. As we pursue these aims, San Pasqual is committed to fulfilling our sacred duties to our ancestors and to finding a fair and reasonable resolution for all parties.”
Attorney Michele Fahley, representing the Tribe, emphasized the seriousness of the situation and the City’s response.
“The circumstances here are extraordinary,” Fahley said. “Ancestral human remains have been found on the property three times, and important tribal cultural resources have also been unearthed. Despite this, the City of Poway did not reopen CEQA or consult with the San Pasqual Band regarding these discoveries. In 2003, the City certified an EIR for this project, but left the ground undisturbed for over two decades. Then when Shea Homes acquired the land and started preparing for construction, area Tribes started raising concerns.”
The dispute centers in part on a 2003 environmental impact report (EIR) prepared for a previous landowner. Under CEQA, new discoveries or significant changes in circumstances can require agencies to revisit earlier environmental analyses, delay approvals, and implement mitigation measures to protect sensitive resources.
However, the Tribe alleges that after the discoveries beginning in 2025, the City of Poway neither consulted with the San Pasqual Band or other Kumeyaay tribes nor reconsidered the outdated EIR.
The lawsuit argues that the City failed to properly account for the discoveries in its subsequent project approvals, including a tree removal permit, and unlawfully deferred necessary mitigation measures.
As a result, the San Pasqual Band is seeking a court order requiring the City to fully assess the project’s environmental and cultural impacts under CEQA, engage in meaningful consultation with the Tribe, and implement enforceable, culturally appropriate protections. These measures include the long-term preservation of ancestral remains and associated burial items, many of which the Tribe believes remain undisturbed at the site.
The case underscores growing tensions between development projects and the protection of tribal cultural heritage, particularly in areas with deep historical and spiritual significance.