Ahead of the parade, the Office hosted a roundtable with several young women, including Barley and Fuller, who hold the prestigious title of royalty in their community and serve as ambassadors for their people. The other members of the roundtable were Miss Bishop Paiute Tribe Uriah Martinez, Sukut Menyil Fiesta Princess Amelia Rodriguez Resvaloso, Sukut Menyil Fiesta Junior Princess Jayla Sanchez, and Daughter of Morongo Elka Waters.
 

Truth and healing work

In 2019, Governor Newsom issued the first formal apology to California Native Americans and created the California Truth and Healing Council via Executive Order N-15-19. 

Since then the Council, led by Secretary Snider-Ashtari, has worked with tribal communities to record and better understand the historical relationship between the state and California Native Americans. The Council held its final in-person quarterly meeting this November, ahead of its final report, to be released on the 175th anniversary of the State of California in 2025. 

Earlier this month, 357 acres of ancestral land were returned to the Wiyot Tribe, continuing California’s efforts to return ancestral and culturally significant land to tribes across the state. Through the administration’s Tribal Nature-Based Solutions grant program, the state has awarded $107.7 million to fund 34 projects and support the return of approximately 49,345 acres of land to California Native American tribes.

On November 15, the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names officially approved the renaming of over 30 locations in 15 counties that previously contained the derogatory term “squaw.”
 

More money to address the MMIP crisis

To support tribal efforts to address the worldwide Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis – recognized in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – California approved the allocation of over $13.2 million in grant funding through the MMIP Grant, following the earlier awarding of over $20 million in grants. 

California has worked closely with tribes across the state to develop strategies to support tribal work and investigations to solve and prevent these cases, and the Governor has signed significant legislation to address the MMIP crisis, including bills establishing the Feather Alert and increasing collaboration among, and training for, law enforcement agencies.