Support restorative justice for the Yuhaaviatam (People of the Pines)
The Issue
Every day, residents and visitors enjoy the beauty, safety, and recreation of the San Bernardino Mountains—from Lake Arrowhead to Big Bear. However, our community rests entirely on the ancestral, unceded land of the Yuhaaviatam ("People of the Pines"), the Serrano clan who stewarded these forests for millennia.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Yuhaaviatam were forcibly displaced through violence and legal disenfranchisement to facilitate private land development, resort construction, and the damming of our lakes. This displacement occurred without a formal treaty, land purchase, or just compensation. While our property values and local tourism thrive, the debt of that uncompensated land grab remains unaddressed.
The Solution: A 0.12% Dedicated Honor Tax Levy
We are calling on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to establish a dedicated 0.12% property tax assessment on residential properties within the San Bernardino Mountain communities (including Lake Arrowhead, Crestline, Running Springs, and Big Bear).
This is not about personal guilt; it is about shared civic responsibility. Just as property taxes fund local roads, public safety, and schools, a minimal contribution to the land's original stewards belongs in our shared social contract.
How the Numbers Work:
A homeowner paying $5,000 in annual property tax would contribute just $6.00 per year ($0.50/month).
A homeowner paying $10,000 in annual property tax would contribute just $12.00 per year ($1.00/month).
Where the Funds Will Go:
100% of the funds raised through this levy will be directed to an independent, tribal-led stewardship trust managed by the Yuhaaviatam (San Manuel Band of Mission Indians) to support:
Land Acquisition & Back-to-Tribe Initiatives: Restoring ancestral land back to tribal ownership.
Cultural & Ancestral Site Protection: Preserving sacred mountain sites, burial grounds, and historical locations.
Environmental & Forest Stewardship: Funding Native-led forest management, ecological conservation, and watershed protection.
Community Education: Developing local historical educational programs for schools and mountain visitors.
Why a Mandatory Tax Over Voluntary Charity?
Voluntary funds are charity; a tax is systemic justice. We do not leave essential infrastructure or historical legal obligations to voluntary tipping. A formalized 0.12% assessment ensures that every property owner benefiting from this mountain participates equally in honoring its foundational history.
Our Precedent
Restorative justice is a recognized legal and moral standard in the United States. Following the forced removal of Japanese Americans during World War II, the federal government enacted the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, recognizing that passage of time does not erase a debt for forced displacement and property loss. Furthermore, functional "Land Tax" and "Honor Tax" models already exist across Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. It is time for San Bernardino County to lead by example.
Sign the Petition
By signing below, you are asking the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to draft, introduce, and enact a 0.12% Honor Tax levy for mountain property owners. Join us in taking a concrete step toward true reconciliation, honor, and restorative justice for the Yuhaaviatam people.
Decision Maker / Target Field
Primary Target: San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
Secondary Targets: San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, Lake Arrowhead Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), City of Big Bear Lake City Council
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The Issue
Every day, residents and visitors enjoy the beauty, safety, and recreation of the San Bernardino Mountains—from Lake Arrowhead to Big Bear. However, our community rests entirely on the ancestral, unceded land of the Yuhaaviatam ("People of the Pines"), the Serrano clan who stewarded these forests for millennia.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Yuhaaviatam were forcibly displaced through violence and legal disenfranchisement to facilitate private land development, resort construction, and the damming of our lakes. This displacement occurred without a formal treaty, land purchase, or just compensation. While our property values and local tourism thrive, the debt of that uncompensated land grab remains unaddressed.
The Solution: A 0.12% Dedicated Honor Tax Levy
We are calling on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to establish a dedicated 0.12% property tax assessment on residential properties within the San Bernardino Mountain communities (including Lake Arrowhead, Crestline, Running Springs, and Big Bear).
This is not about personal guilt; it is about shared civic responsibility. Just as property taxes fund local roads, public safety, and schools, a minimal contribution to the land's original stewards belongs in our shared social contract.
How the Numbers Work:
A homeowner paying $5,000 in annual property tax would contribute just $6.00 per year ($0.50/month).
A homeowner paying $10,000 in annual property tax would contribute just $12.00 per year ($1.00/month).
Where the Funds Will Go:
100% of the funds raised through this levy will be directed to an independent, tribal-led stewardship trust managed by the Yuhaaviatam (San Manuel Band of Mission Indians) to support:
Land Acquisition & Back-to-Tribe Initiatives: Restoring ancestral land back to tribal ownership.
Cultural & Ancestral Site Protection: Preserving sacred mountain sites, burial grounds, and historical locations.
Environmental & Forest Stewardship: Funding Native-led forest management, ecological conservation, and watershed protection.
Community Education: Developing local historical educational programs for schools and mountain visitors.
Why a Mandatory Tax Over Voluntary Charity?
Voluntary funds are charity; a tax is systemic justice. We do not leave essential infrastructure or historical legal obligations to voluntary tipping. A formalized 0.12% assessment ensures that every property owner benefiting from this mountain participates equally in honoring its foundational history.
Our Precedent
Restorative justice is a recognized legal and moral standard in the United States. Following the forced removal of Japanese Americans during World War II, the federal government enacted the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, recognizing that passage of time does not erase a debt for forced displacement and property loss. Furthermore, functional "Land Tax" and "Honor Tax" models already exist across Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. It is time for San Bernardino County to lead by example.
Sign the Petition
By signing below, you are asking the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to draft, introduce, and enact a 0.12% Honor Tax levy for mountain property owners. Join us in taking a concrete step toward true reconciliation, honor, and restorative justice for the Yuhaaviatam people.
Decision Maker / Target Field
Primary Target: San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
Secondary Targets: San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, Lake Arrowhead Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), City of Big Bear Lake City Council
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on September 12, 2026