Trestles will be the venue of the surfing event at the LA 2028 Olympics, but the Acjachemen Nation has raised concerns about how the Olympic committee is going about it. Photo: WSL
The Olympics are coming to Los Angeles, with Trestles confirmed as the venue for the surfing event. However, one Indigenous party recently raised some concerns about the proceedings: the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation.
“The Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation are the original inhabitants of the lands that ultimately became the County of Orange, as well as parts of San Diego, Los Angeles, and Riverside Counties,” the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians explained on its website.
The Acjachemen people have a deep relationship with the region, dating back 9,600 years. However, as Fox 5 San Diego reports, Acjachemen Tribal Chairman Nathan Banda says the tribe was not consulted in the process of selecting Trestles as the site for the venue.
“I would hope that being the organization that they are, that they should know proper protocol is to reach out to the tribe and ask for permission and see how we feel about this,” Banda told Fox 5. He went on to cite the WSL’s collaboration with the tribe as a model for how to go about holding an event on the land. The collaboration began back in 2021, and most recently the 2025 Lexus Trestles Pro included a traditional blessing, cultural performances and trophies designed to honor the Acjachemen.
“Proper protocol would be that the nation would be represented at the event, but in the event that we cannot attend, then they would have the land acknowledgment for someone to read,” added Banda. He also expressed concerns about the impact of large crowds on the natural ecosystem.
According to Fox, the tribe initiated outreach to Olympic organizers, but has yet to receive a response.
However, that does not mean that the tribe is entirely opposed to the Olympic event. “We’re excited that this historic event will be taking place in our tribal territory, and it will afford us the opportunity to help educate the Olympics organization as a whole, along with visitors coming from all over the world, about our protocols and our people, and for them to be able to be immersed in our culture and educated,” concluded Banda.
