More than a decade after Irenne Zwierlein – a Native American tribal member who previously inked plans with a major developer to build on roughly 6,000 acres of pristine property just south of Gilroy known as Sargent Ranch – forged documents in an attempt to prove herself the rightful leader of the local Amah Mutsun Tribal Band of Ohlone/Costanoan Indians, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs made a move last week that left her rivals “absolutely blindsided.”
A new development in the twisted saga for the battle over Sargent Ranch - vast expanse of undulating hills, pristine streams, unsullied wildlife habitats and unincorporated farmland just south of Gilroy - popped up last week in a Santa Cruz Sentinel legal notice alerting the public to a foreclosure auction slated later this month.