California Indian Tribal Relations

Cal/EPA and its boards, departments, and office (BDOs) are committed to improving our communication and working relationships with California Indian Tribes. To achieve this goal and to help guide Cal/EPA and its BDOs, we have adopted the Cal/EPA Policy for Working with California Indian Tribes (PDF). Arsenio Mataka, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Justice and Tribal Affairs, is guiding this effort with the assistance of staff members Malinda Dumisani and Diane Trujillo. This policy will serve to guide Cal/EPA and all its BDOs in their daily operations to work with California Indian Tribes in a knowledgeable, sensitive, and respectful manner.

News

• Governor Brown Appoints Tribal Advisor
• Governor Brown Establishes Tribal Advisor to Strengthen Communication, Collaboration with California's Native American Tribes
• Report: Facing the Storm--Indian Tribes, Climate-Induced Weather Extremes, and the Future for Indian Country
  In collaboration with the National Wildlife Federation Tribal Lands Program, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, National Congress of American Indians, Native American Fish & Wildlife Society, National Tribal Environmental Council, Native American Rights Fund, and University of Colorado Law School, the National Wildlife Federation released Indian Tribes, Climate-Induced Weather Extremes, and the Future for Indian Country (available at www.nwf.org/news). The report details how climate change is adversely and disproportionately affecting Indian Tribes in North America, people who rely on a healthy environment to sustain their economic, cultural and spiritual lives.