Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations (California)

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Posted: May 13, 2020

Lynn Valbuena serves as chairwoman of the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations. Photo by Eric Reed/San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

Lynn Valbuena, Chairwoman of the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations, an intergovernmental association of federally recognized tribes throughout southern California, issued the following statement in connection with the Department of the Treasury’s handling of the $8 billion coronavirus relief fund:

“California tribes are deeply disappointed by the formula utilized by Treasury, based on inaccurate and irrelevant tribal population data to distribute relief funds meant to address the economic impacts of COVID-19 – data that is intended to determine participation and eligibility for federal housing programs. The inequities of the formula ignore California’s history of genocide and treaty violations – a history that left us with decimated tribal populations and small land bases on which we struggled to survive for over 150 years. We insist that the next distribution recognizes the significant impacts we have on California’s economy and the associated economic impacts on our communities as we plan for a future in a vastly different landscape.”