California Code, Public Resources Code - PRC § 5079.35

(a) The office may acquire any interest in real property pursuant to Section 5079.20, or personal property pursuant to Section 5079.21, with historical, including archaeological, significance, or necessary for the preservation or management of any such property, in order to prevent the loss of historic integrity or imminent destruction or to otherwise secure the preservation of the historical resource.

(b) The office may undertake conservation or preservation activities for historical resources acquired under this chapter.

(c) The office shall encourage, to the greatest extent feasible, the acquisition of historical resources by other qualified purchasers, and the acquisition of the property shall only occur with the office acting as the buyer of last resort.

(d) The office shall take all feasible action to return or transfer title to the historical resources to a nonprofit organization, public agency, private entity, or individual, for all properties acquired for historical resources preservation under this chapter.

(e) Prior to taking any action towards the acquisition of any historical property, the office shall consult as needed with the appropriate city or county in order to better assess the historical significance of the historical property.