Protecting Reminders of History : Irvine Co.’s development of burial site legal; stronger limits needed

California long has been accused of paving over its history. The state is filled with markers denoting that a structure now considered of historical importance “once stood here.” That can be said of the Newport Beach cluster of expensive homes known as Harbor Cove. Men and women lived there anywhere from 4,000 to 9,500 years ago, and the land was a burial site for Native Americans.

The Irvine Co., which owned the property, obtained the necessary permits from Newport Beach and the California Coastal Commission in developing the project. It also offered the land for sale.

But four years ago a city ballot measure to buy the property was rejected. Those in favor of city ownership stressed not history but open space. Despite occasional news stories about findings of bones and ceramic artifacts during excavation, the historical importance of the site never registered strongly.

Anthropologists and other scientists now are expressing surprise at the high number of Native American remains discovered, perhaps 600 or more. Had the site not been developed, scientists would have had a chance to study how people lived so many millenniums ago.

The remains were reburied elsewhere, heeding the demands of Native Americans whose ancestors occupied the site. But many artifacts remain to be studied and cataloged. Above all, they should be displayed.

The public will not be able to walk the ground where they were discovered. But a museum would still offer a glimpse into the past, a reminder of what existed before orange groves, high-rises and malls swept across the county.

Many people understandably are outraged about what happened at Harbor Cove. At least two historians have said that if the California Environmental Quality Act had functioned well, the site would have been spared. The Irvine Co. appears to have met its legal obligations. The question is whether the environmental act as constituted can really be counted on to protect such sites.

The act requires developments to offset any harm they do, including degrading air or water quality. It also encourages preservation of important archeological sites, such as Harbor Cove. But it might be time to look at the act again to see if it can be strengthened so that important sites are saved.