Randall Preserve – Genga

Project Details

The Frank and Joan Randall Preserve/Genga
[Tribal Name to be Determined] is a 387-acre parcel consisting of a coastal mesa and adjacent lowlands with coastal wetlands. An extraordinarily diverse mix of coastal wetland, riparian woodland, coastal bluff sage scrub, vernal pools and rare species thrive within the Randall Preserve/Genga’s boundaries.

The land is primarily located in unincorporated Orange County, between the cities of Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. The tribal and local community’s decades-long advocacy and Trust for Public Land’s six-year, $97 million conservation campaign helped protect the property from development. This allowed a new chapter of community driven public and tribal access and future restoration on what was considered the last large, unprotected coastal property in Southern California.

A generous donation from Frank and Joan Randall provided the catalyst funding for the land purchase, along with public funds from the Wildlife Conservation Board, California Natural Resources Agency, State Coastal Conservancy, state funding through a member request from Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

The previous oil operator is presently undertaking a two-to-three-year process of remediation under oversight by the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board (SARWQCB), including removal of oil infrastructure from the property that incorporates brownfield bioremediation.

During this time, no public access is available.

Property Management Plan

The land acquisition agreement placed MRCA as titleholder with the requirement to develop a Property Management Plan, that encompasses a Resource Management Plan and Tribal Access and Engagement Plan that both collectively inform a Public Access Plan.

Project partner, Coastal Corridor Alliance (CCA), received partial funding for several of these plans, but those grant requirements further add a separate, but related Coastal Resilience Strategy. The planning process is informed by professionals, specialists, Tribes and Tribal members, and local community, and it will result in the creation of multiple plans.

Advisory Committee

An Advisory Committee has been established to provide feedback and recommend approval of the Resource Management Plan, Public Access Plan, and Coastal Resilience Strategy for the Frank and Joan Randall Preserve, also known as Genga or Geŋa. The Advisory Committee will meet to review plan progress, recommend plan approval, and provide guidance or support for the implementation of the Plans.

The first meeting of the Randall Preserve Advisory Committee will take place starting at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 16, 2025, at the Norma Hertzog Community Center (1845 Park Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92627).