TRIBAL ALERT: Support the Governor Signing Important Native American Legislation
To All Tribal Leaders: Governor Newsom has four (4) Native American bills on his desk that will: AB 275- Amends CA Native American Grace Protection and Repatriation Act; AB 2112- Create a statewide “Office of Suicide Prevention”; AB 2314- Increase Native American Voter Participation; AB 3099- Provide Public Law 280 training to state law enforcement […]
House Bill for Federal Recognition of the Mono Lake Kutzadikaa Tribe Introduced by Congressman Paul Cook
The Mono Lake Tribe’s recognition has been one of the longest-lasting cases at CILS. In response to the recognition bill, Dorothy Alther, CILS Executive Director and lead legal counsel for the Tribe said, “I cannot fully express my gratitude to Representative Cook for introducing the Mono Lake Tribe’s recognition bill. I have had the privilege of […]
Streamlined Path to Firefighting Employment for the Formerly Incarcerated
By Jay Petersen, CILS Sacramento Senior Attorney Assembly member Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-47th) of San Bernardino introduced AB 2147 in February 2020 and Governor Newsom signed the bill in early September. The law takes effect January 1st, 2021. AB 2147 represents a clear eyed and fair minded “ban-the-box” law intended to reduce unnecessary barriers to […]
An Introduction into Public Law 280
By Dorothy Alther, Executive Director If you are a California Native American chances are you have heard of Public Law 280 (PL 280) at some point in your life. But what does PL 280 really mean to you, to your tribes, and California tribal communities? The following is a short introduction and overview of PL […]
Tort Claims
CAUTION: Wet Floors = Tribal Tort Claims By Mark Vezzola, CILS Escondido Directing Attorney What is a tort? A tort is something someone does or fails to do that harms the person or property of another. Negligence, for example, is a type of tort, as is conversion, making someone else’s property your own. What do […]
Census Extension Backtrack
By Alexis Lindquist, CILS Escondido Staff Attorney American Indians were excluded from the first six censuses from 1790 through 1850. The original mandate in the US constitution excluded Indians because they were not taxed. This theory was based on the premise that American Indians had a political allegiance to their own tribes and thus were […]
