Caltrans will remain part of local tribes’ lawsuit over Willits bypass, judge rules

WILLITS, CA., 01/30/17 — A federal judge in Oakland ruled on January 23 that CalTrans shall remain a defendant — along with the Federal Highway Administration — in a lawsuit filed by the Coyote Valley and Round Valley Band of Pomo Indians over the management and mitigation of cultural resources and archeological sites during the construction of the Willits Bypass project.

The two tribes filed the lawsuit in 2015, after claiming throughout the construction of the Willits Bypass that CalTrans was not fulfilling their obligations to the tribes under federal historic preservation laws to properly handle the archeological sites on project lands. The tribes also claim that CalTrans failed to properly protect the cultural resources found during the project, destroying sites in violation of federal and state laws.