Tribal Government

The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation is a sovereign Native American nation recognized by the United States government. An elected Tribal Council is the governing body of the Tribe. This Tribal Council consists of five Tribal Citizens, each elected for three-year terms by the Tribe’s Community Council, comprised by all qualified voters 18 years of age and older. 

Operating under the Tribe’s constitution and bylaws, the Tribal Council oversees all areas of the tribal government and its business enterprises, evaluating and making final decisions on the recommendations of the Tribe’s various departments and committees. Tribal committees, boards of directors and commissions help to operate all areas of government and community life. These include the Yocha Dehe Wintun Academy, Yocha Dehe Fire Department, Yocha Dehe Giving, Cultural Resources Department, Health & Wellness Department, Environmental Department, Tribal Gaming Agency, Land Management Department, Séka Hills and Cache Creek Casino Resort.

The Tribe enjoys productive relationships with the federal government, the State of California, Yolo and Solano counties, and municipalities from West Sacramento to Vallejo. As the Tribe’s governing body, the Tribal Council negotiates agreements with public and private entities on many subjects of import. These agreements shape the Tribe’s entertainment and hospitality operations; empower the Tribe to protect sacred sites and cultural resources threatened by development; and allow the Tribe to provide fire service, police and transportation infrastructure improvements throughout the region. In 2003, the Governor of California bestowed the Tribe with the State’s highest and most prestigious environmental honor, the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award. The Tribe is also a signatory to an unprecedented Fire Mutual Aid Agreement, making the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation’s Fire Department a crucial member of Yolo County’s emergency response force.