A formerly unnamed beach adjacent to Spanish Landing Park has been officially named Kumeyaay Beach.
In response to years of effort from the Kumeyaay Cultural Repatriation Committee, the San Diego Port’s Board of Commissioners approved the beach’s renaming in a meeting on Tuesday, July 14.
“I’m glad the San Diego Port Commission has decided to honor our people by placing the name ‘Kumeyaay Beach’ on an unnamed section of our Kumeyaay coastline,” said Jamie LaBrake, councilmember of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.
Since 2023, members of the Kumeyaay Nation have long advocated for giving this beach a name, due to its cultural significance. The Kumeyaay were the original occupants of San Diego and its bays, where the tribe hunted for fish.
An official request was submitted to the board in June 2025 to rename the beach. Backing the request were the 12 tribes of the Kumeyaay Cultural Repatriation Committee, a coalition representing the Kumeyaay Tribe as a single voice.
Before April 2025, the Port of San Diego did not have a policy on renaming. The Port specially adopted a policy responding to community and cultural voices.
The policy allows renaming in cultural and historically significant instances, stating it should “withstand the test of time.”
The Port will soon update public maps, records and digital resources to reflect the new recognition, and will work with tribal representatives to create a new sign.
“For the Kumeyaay people, the waters of San Diego Bay have long been a source of life, culture, and connection,” said Michael Zucchet, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners vice chair.
“This recognition is an opportunity to honor the region’s first people, celebrate their lasting legacy, and help visitors to our waterfront have a greater understanding of their history,” Zucchet said.
Before the vote, Jessie Pinto, an elder of the Kumeyaay Nation, spoke at the meeting.
“The name, ‘Kumeyaay Beach,’ is more than a sign,” Pinto said. “This is an opportunity to acknowledge the first people of the land, to tell a more complete story of San Diego.”
Pinto said, “The visitors who see this may ask, ‘Who are the Kumeyaays?’ The simple question opens the door to education, understanding and respect.”
