20 Oct Richmond to Again Consider Supporting Controversial Tribe’s Bid for Recognition

Members of the Indigenous Justice Coalition with Muwekma Ohlone Tribe chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh,center left, in Washington, D.C. in June. The group is advocating for the California Tribe to gain federal recognition. (Aaron He via Bay City News)

By Samantha Kennedy

Ten months after indefinitely tabling support for two Bay Area tribes, the Richmond City Council will again consider lending its support on Tuesday, but this time, only for one.

Council member Soheila Bana proposes the council adopt a resolution urging Congress, the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to federally recognize the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and call on the Bay Area congressional delegation to ensure its “immediate recognition.”

The Muwekma Ohlone says it is made up of “all of the known surviving American Indian lineages” aboriginal to the San Francisco Bay region who trace ancestry through the missions of Dolores, Santa Clara and San Jose. The tribe says it was previously recognized as the Verona Band of Alameda County before being stripped of the designation in 1927.

The resolution, nearly identical to one passed in Union City in July, would make Richmond the largest Bay Area city to formally support the tribe’s recognition since one in San Jose died last October because of lawmaker pushback.

In 2023, U.S. Reps. Anna Eshoo, Ro Khanna, Zoe Lofgren, Jimmy Panetta, and Eric Swalwell said in a letter to Muwekma Ohlone Chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh that they didn’t want casinos in their districts. Lofgren and Eshoo also opposed San Jose’s resolution, citing gaming-related concerns and “fairness” to other denied tribes.

The BIA denied the tribe’s recognition in 2002, saying it failed to meet criteria that require the tribe to operate continuously as an Indian entity, presently comprise a distinct community and maintain political influence or authority over members since 1927. The tribe unsuccessfully appealed.

The petition process has prohibited previously denied tribes, like the Muwekma Ohlone, from reapplying for recognition since it began in 1978. A rule change this year now allows those tribes to petition again, but the process is still costly and often takes decades. 

Nijmeh has explored other avenues in the pursuit of recognition, which can still be granted through congressional action: a failed run against Lofgren in 2024, ties to fake news campaigns, courting then-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and conducting a “Trail of Truth” to Washington, D.C.

Nijmeh has maintained that the tribe has no plans to build a casino but doesn’t want to give up the right to do so.

While federal recognition does give tribes the right to operate a casino, it does provide access to federal funding for housing and healthcare.

But the Muwekma Ohlone have also questioned the legitimacy of other tribes that say they are aboriginal to the same lands.

In January, Richmond council members Claudia Jimenez, Doria Robinson and Gayle McLaughlin proposed offering support for federal recognition to the Muwekma Ohlone and the Confederated Villages of Lisjan.

The tribe has accused the Lisjan of being “pure political fiction designed to enrich” its tribal spokesperson, Corrina Gould. The Lisjan people say they have lived in the East Bay since “time immemorial,” according to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, which Gould co-founded.

McLaughlin told KQED ahead of the January meeting that she was not aware of any conflict between the tribes and had no worries about a casino.

She tabled the resolution that night, citing the need for “more revisions” and said that Jimenez and Robinson would bring the resolution back in the future.

The West Contra Costa Unified School District and the Rosie the Riveter Trust have previously recognized the tribes as native to the area.

This matter is scheduled to be discussed at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Open session starts at 6 p.m. People can livestream the meeting, watch it on KCRT or attend in person. Please see the agenda for more information.