Interior Secretary Donald Hodel approved June 5 a proposal to move the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Northern California agency from Hoopa to Redding, 80 miles east. As part of the move new sub-agencies will be created at Klamath, near the mouth of the Klamath River, and at Willow Creek, approximately 11 miles of south of Hoopa.
The principal reasons for the move, a BIA spokesman said, are to improve accessibility of the staff to the tribal groups served and to reduce costs. Redding is a highway hub providing access to all parts of the northern California area served by the agency. There is also bus, rail and air transportation to Redding. The BIA expects the move to save more than $1 million over a five-year period.
The agency now serves 16 tribal groups and the new location would permit the assignment of seven additional groups in Modoc and Lassen counties to the agency. These seven groups are presently part of the Central California agency.
The agency's present allotment of 65 positions would be reduced by two in the change. The new organization will include 32 employees at Redding; 23 at Willow Creek and eight at Klamath.
The BIA's area director in Sacramento has been instructed to begin implementation of the move. It is expected to take several months to complete.
