August 20, 2023 - California State Parks’ Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) has announced $240,000 in federal grants to support local preservation efforts in six cities -- Carmel, Los Angeles, Pomona, Riverside, Sacramento, and Santa Barbara. Through the Certified Local Government (CLG) program, and a partnership among local governments, OHP and the National Park Service, the cities will use $40,000 each to develop historic context statements, accessory dwelling unit design guidelines or archaeological resources planning guidelines. 

An example of how funding has been previously used is the city of Santa Barbara in 2021- 2022. The city successfully completed an historic context statement examining the history of Santa Barbara’s African American and Black community by helping to identify sites and buildings important to the community. The sites can now be designated and protected as historical resources.As a result of these efforts, the city was awarded with the 2023 California Preservation Foundation “Preservation Design Award for Cultural Resource Studies.”

Below is an outline of how this year’s grant recipients will support preservation efforts in their communities:

• Carmel for a citywide historic context statement.
• Los Angeles for an indigenous people’s historic context statement.
• Pomona for a Latina/o historic context statement.
• Riverside to develop accessory dwelling unit design guidelines.
• Sacramento for an LGBTQ+ historic context statement.
• Santa Barbara to develop archaeological resources planning guidelines.

Grants are provided on a competitive basis to CLGs whose preservation programs have been certified by the National Park Service. To learn more about, please visit ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24493.

The 1980 amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 provided for the establishment of a CLG program to encourage the direct participation of local governments in the identification, evaluation, registration and preservation of historic properties within their jurisdiction and to promote the integration of local preservation interests and concerns into local planning and decision-making processes. Historic context statements, accessory dwelling unit design guidelines and archaeological resources planning guidelines are some of the tools that help achieve the program’s goals and objectives. These tools are critical in understanding, identifying, evaluating, and protecting resources that give each community its individual character and sense of place.

OHPis responsible for administering federally and state-mandated historic preservation programs to further the identification, evaluation, registration and protection of California's irreplaceable archaeological and historical resources under the direction of the State Historic Preservation Officer, a gubernatorial appointee, and the State Historical Resources Commission. Learn more at ohp.parks.ca.gov. 
Source: CA. State Parks