Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles) would allow the Gabrielino/Tongva Nation to bypass a costly federal petition process that can take a decade or more to complete.
The tribe is one of a number of Indigenous groups whose ancestors first populated the Los Angeles Basin and who are seeking the ability to govern themselves on sovereign land. A local tribe's bid for federal recognition is getting a boost from organized labor and a member of Congress who recently introduced legislation that would extend acknowledgement status to the Gabrielino/Tongva Nation and create a 300-acre reservation within Los Angeles County.