Domestic Violence Legal Services Fundraising
Since 2015, CILS’ Escondido Office has provided legal representation to Native American survivors of domestic violence (DV) and sexual assault (SA). This vital legal program was funded through a federal grant from the federal Office on Violence Against Women (OVAW). CILS was not awarded an OVAW grant this year. Without financial support from the donors […]
TRIBAL ALERT: Tribal Letters of Support for Federal Legislation to Extend Coronavirus Relief Funds Deadline
Hopefully, you have received the email sent out today from the Native American Financial Officers Association (NAFOA) urging you to send a letter of support for S. 4898. This new legislation will extend the period for all states, tribes, and territories to use the Coronavirus Relief Fund payments from December 30, 2020, to September 30, […]
Will AB 3099 Create a more Uniform and Positive Response to Criminal Activities Occurring within California Indian Country?
By Denise Bareilles, CILS Eureka office Directing Attorney Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3099 into law on September 25, 2020. What will it accomplish? Under Public Law (PL) 280, passed in 1953, the state of California was granted concurrent criminal jurisdiction in all of California’s “Indian Country”[1]. What this means is that the state can […]
What is Indian Law?
By Jedd Parr, CILS Sacramento office Directing Attorney Indian law is rooted in two main concepts – first, that Indian tribes are sovereign entities with powers which predate the U.S. Constitution, including the inherent power to make their own laws and be governed by them, and second, that there is a political relationship between the […]
Participate in CILS’ COVID-19 Individual and Tribal Impact Surveys
California Indian Legal Services is requesting your participation in assessing the impact of COVID-19 on individuals in California. We will be using your responses to this survey to develop programs and services to better assist individuals living in California. Start the survey here. Enter into our drawing for one of five (5) prizes – $50.00 […]
Governor Newsom’s Order Regarding Tribal Lands
By Dorothy Alther, Executive Director On September 22, 2020, Governor Newsom signed “A Statement of Administration Policy on Native American Ancestral Lands” acknowledging and reiterating that Native Americans occupied California long before statehood and were forced to relinquish their lands and sacred sites, through violence or other means, to the newcomers descending upon the state. […]
