SUBJECT
NOTICED PUBLIC HEARING:
Title
ADJUST THE WARNER SPRINGS COMMUNITY SPONSOR GROUP BOUNDARY TO INCLUDE THE ADJACENT LOS COYOTES RESERVATION (DISTRICT: 5)
Body
OVERVIEW
To promote equitable community representation and expand opportunities for public input in the Warner Springs area, the County of San Diego (County) Board of Supervisors (Board), on April 10, 2024 (11), directed staff to evaluate and process a boundary adjustment for the Warner Springs Community Sponsor Group (CSG). The proposed change, originated by the Warner Springs CSG, would add the adjacent Los Coyotes Band of Indians (Los Coyotes) reservation within the CSG boundary.
Currently, the Los Coyotes reservation lies outside the Warner Springs CSG boundary and is located within the North Mountain Community Planning Area, which does not have an active planning or sponsor group. Warner Springs, located east of Palomar Mountain in the North Mountain Subregion, is currently represented by a CSG. While residents on the reservation may participate in public engagement related to Warner Springs projects, they are not eligible for appointment to the CSG because they reside outside the group’s designated boundary. The proposed boundary adjustment would make residents of the Los Coyotes Reservation eligible for appointment to the Warner Springs CSG and allow them to provide formal input on land use matters affecting the surrounding community.
This boundary adjustment would not give the County any land use authority over the Los Coyotes reservation. Reservation lands are sovereign and are not subject to County zoning, permitting, or development regulations. Across the unincorporated County, some reservation lands are already included within active planning or sponsor group areas, allowing reservation residents to serve on local advisory bodies. Adjusting the Warner Springs CSG boundary to include the Los Coyotes Reservation would provide consistency with this approach and enhance community representation. The boundary adjustment is supported by both the Warner Springs CSG and the Los Coyotes Band of Indians. Nominations for membership in a sponsor group may be solicited from the community-
at-large, including people living on tribal lands. If appointed by the County Board, a reservation resident would serve as an individual member of the community and not as a formal representative of the Los Coyotes tribe.
Today’s request is for the Board to adopt a Resolution (Attachment A) adjusting the Warner Springs CSG boundary to include the Los Coyotes reservation and to direct staff to implement any necessary administrative actions to complete the change.
RECOMMENDATION(S)
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
1. Find that this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because the proposed action is not a physical project per Section 15378(b)(5) of the CEQA Guidelines.
2. Adopt a resolution entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ADJUSTING THE WARNER SPRINGS COMMUNITY SPONSOR GROUP BOUNDARY TO INCLUDE THE ADJACENT LOS COYOTES RESERVATION (Attachment A), and direct staff to complete any associated administrative changes.
EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT
Community engagement is essential to ensure public input is taken into consideration before County decision-makers act on important land use matters. Community Planning and Sponsor Groups (CPSGs) play a pivotal role in the County’s public engagement process, serving as a collective voice for each community. Adjusting the Warner Springs CSG boundary to encompass the Los Coyotes reservation would allow residents living within the Los Coyotes reservation to be appointed to the Warner Springs CSG, supporting inclusiveness in the public participation process and fostering connections between the County and tribal governments. This adjustment would bring unique perspectives, knowledge, and lived experiences to help shape our collective local land use process.
SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT STATEMENT
The County’s commitment to sustainability requires consideration of the lasting effects of our actions on the environment, economy, and social well-being of our communities. Community Planning and Sponsor Groups play a crucial role in facilitating this process. Consistent with the County’s Sustainability Goals, adjusting the boundary of the Warner Springs CSG provides a meaningful opportunity for residents living within the Los Coyotes reservation to be appointed to the Warner Springs CSG, bringing the opportunity for tribal knowledge and perspectives on sustainable communities to be shared. This fosters a more transparent, diverse, and inclusive dialogue, and ensuring the impacts of County land use decisions that impact all stakeholders are comprehensively considered.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with today’s recommendations. There will be no change in net General Fund cost and no additional staff years.
BUSINESS IMPACT STATEMENT
N/A
Details
ADVISORY BOARD STATEMENT
On May 16, 2024, the Warner Springs Community Sponsor Group (CSG) voted 6 in favor and 1 absent to support the potential CSG boundary adjustment. On May 15, 2025, the Warner Springs CSG voted a second time 6 in favor and 1 absent to support the potential CSG boundary adjustment.
BACKGROUND
In accordance with the County of San Diego Board Policy I-1 - Planning and Sponsor Group Policies and Procedures, unincorporated communities are represented by voluntary community advisory boards established by the Board of Supervisors (Board) known as Community Planning and Sponsor Groups (CPSGs). The community advisory board’s purpose is to provide locally informed recommendations on land use, planning, and development projects in unincorporated areas. To become a member of a Community Sponsor Group, a prospective member must live or own property within the community; must be nominated by the group, community, County staff, or the Board; and must be appointed by the Board. Throughout the unincorporated area, four other tribal reservations are located within active Community Sponsor Group boundaries, and ten Community Planning Groups also have tribal lands within their boundaries, giving residents of these tribal lands the ability to join their respective CPSG boards.
Warner Springs is a 179 square mile unincorporated community east of Palomar Mountain in the North Mountain Subregion. Based on community input, on September 1, 2021 (3), the Board established the Warner Springs Community Sponsor Group (CSG), made up of nine seats, to better represent the community. The Warner Springs CSG was established out of the unrepresented North Mountain Community Planning Area (CPA).
Adjacent to the unincorporated Warner Springs community is the Los Coyotes Band of Indians (Los Coyotes) Reservation, which was established by executive order in 1889. The reservation is located within the North Mountain CPA, which does not have a community advisory board. The Los Coyotes reservation is approximately 25,500 acres and broadly consists of mountainous, wooded terrain. The tribe currently has over 400 members with approximately 50 families residing within the reservation. Los Coyotes is a sovereign nation, which means the County does not have any land use jurisdiction over this land.
On April 10, 2024 (11), the Board of Supervisors (Board) directed staff to research the feasibility of adjusting the boundary of the Warner Springs Community Sponsor Group (CSG) to include adjacent land within the Los Coyotes Band of Indians (Los Coyotes) reservation and return back within 120 days with options to implement. While researching, County staff worked closely with the CSG and with the Los Coyotes tribe to discuss County processes and to answer questions about the Board direction. This adjustment would allow a resident living on the reservation to be appointed to the CSG to advise County decision-makers on land use matters that may have impacts on the community.
The CSG boundary currently does not include the reservation land. As a result, residents living on the reservation can participate in the public engagement process for projects within the Warner Springs community; however, they cannot be appointed as a voting member of the CSG. Residents living within the Los Coyotes reservation and members from the Warner Springs CSG have expressed interest in having a resident living on the reservation be appointed to a vacant seat of the CSG. Across other unincorporated communities, reservation land is sometimes included within CSG/CPG boundaries, which allows a resident on the reservation land to be appointed or elected to that community advisory board.
Analysis
Staff engaged key stakeholders to discuss the Board direction, stakeholders’ intent and recommendations, the process of a CSG boundary adjustment, and the next steps in the planning process.
Staff met with the Los Coyotes Tribal Council to discuss the direction, County processes, and receive input from the tribe. After meeting with the Tribal Council, staff met with the Los Coyotes General Council to answer questions from the tribe on the potential boundary adjustment. Following that meeting, on May 2, 2025, staff received a letter from the Executive Council Chairman stating that the Los Coyotes tribe voted to support the boundary change (Attachment B). Staff also attended the Warner Springs CSG meeting to discuss the Board’s direction and County processes and sought input from the CSG. The CSG voted in support (six in favor, one absent) of the boundary adjustment.
In response to the Board’s direction and based on the support from the Warner Springs community and the Los Coyotes tribe, staff recommends a boundary adjustment to the Warner Springs CSG. The boundary adjustment would not require an amendment to the Warner Springs Community Plan. The action would adjust the existing CSG boundary (Attachment C) to the east to include the approximate 25,000 acres within the Los Coyotes Reservation, which is currently located within the North Mountain community. No other adjustments are recommended to the boundary.
The boundary adjustment would not give the County any land use jurisdiction over the Los Coyotes reservation but would allow reservation residents to be appointed to the Warner Springs CSG, allowing for tribal representation on County land use matters. Allowing for representation of Los Coyotes residents on the Warner Springs CSG would enhance County sustainability and equity initiatives and allow for greater tribal participation in County land use matters within the Warner Springs area.
ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors find that the proposed adjustment to the Warner Springs Community Sponsor Group boundary is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under Section 15378(b)(5) of the State CEQA Guidelines because the proposed action is not a project. A boundary adjustment to the Sponsor Group would not physically impact the environment nor the outcome of any future project. Individual projects will still need to go through CEQA review as they are proposed.
LINKAGE TO THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO STRATEGIC PLAN
Today’s request meets the Community and Equity initiatives in the County’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan by allowing community members living on the Los Coyotes Band of Indians reservation to be appointed as voting members of the Warner Springs Community Sponsor Group. Today’s action would ensure residents on tribal land have the opportunity to engage in County land use matters and ensures the potential effects of County projects in relation to tribal lands are adequately considered.
Respectfully submitted,
DAHVIA LYNCH
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer
ATTACHMENT(S)
Attachment A - Resolution Adjusting the Warner Springs Community Sponsor Group Boundary
Attachment B - May 2, 2025 - Los Coyotes General Council Letter of Support
Attachment C - Existing and Proposed Warner Springs Community Sponsor Group Boundary Map (Informational)