ESCONDIDO — The Escondido City Council has unanimously agreed to send a letter to San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria expressing support for transferring San Pasqual Battlefield State Park to the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians.
Located about eight miles from Escondido along state Route 78 in the San Pasqual Valley, the historic park encompasses roughly 50 acres and includes a visitor center, trails and educational facilities commemorating the 1846 Battle of San Pasqual, which occurred during the Mexican-American War.
The land is the ancestral home of the Kumeyaay people, specifically the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, which maintains cultural, spiritual and historical connections to the valley. The tribe was removed from its ancestral lands in the 1870s through governmental actions.
The state and the city of San Diego currently own portions of the park, which has been closed for several years due to budget cuts at both levels.
Earlier this year, Assemblymember David Alvarez, D-San Diego, introduced the San Pasqual Ancestral Land Repatriation Act, which proposed transferring state- and city-owned lands in the park to the San Pasqual Band. The legislation is no longer active, according to an Escondido staff report, though similar legislation is expected to be introduced in 2026.
Escondido’s letter specifically advocates transferring approximately 3.68 acres of state-owned land to the tribe at no cost, as well as San Diego-owned portions of the park. The letter also requests that the state relinquish its remaining rights and interests in city-owned lands if the transfers proceed.
“They want to take care of the ancestral land there, and to care for the cemetery there,” said Councilmember Judy Fitzgerald, who introduced the letter as a council agenda item on Dec. 17.
Fitzgerald noted that while the San Diego Zoo Safari Park also sits within the tribe’s ancestral lands, the San Pasqual Band is willing to continue allowing the Safari Park to manage its portions.
“They want to be able to invest, maintain, upkeep their land and attract tourism and elevate the park to honor their culture and again be part of their community,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald said she sees the San Pasqual Band as an “extension of who we are here in Escondido,” and that the transfer would benefit both the tribe and the city.
She also said Gloria indicated openness to returning the land after recently speaking with him, noting that it would be helpful, as the city lacks the resources to care for it.
“The tribe has demonstrated strong capabilities in cultural preservation, environmental stewardship, and community engagement,” the letter states. “Under tribal stewardship, the park could continue serving as an important educational and cultural resource while more fully representing the complete history of the San Pasqual Valley.”
The rest of the City Council agreed.
“I believe having this returned to the original peoples of this land is the right thing to do,” Deputy Mayor Consuelo Martinez said. “It would be cared for in the best way.”
