REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on Council Request (Council Policy 030) for a Resolution in Support of Muwekma Ohlone Tribe being Recognized
Report
BACKGROUND
At the March 24, 2026, City Council meeting, a motion was made by Vice Mayor Gonzalez and seconded by Councilmember Cox, to agendize a resolution in support of federal recognition for the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe (Tribe) at a future meeting date uncertain.
DISCUSSION
The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe is composed of descendants of the Ohlone (also known as Costanoan) people, who historically inhabited areas across present-day San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, and portions of Napa, Santa Cruz, Solano, and San Joaquin counties. The Tribe traces its documented ancestry primarily to the historic Verona Band of Alameda County.
The Verona Band of Alameda County, now associated with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, was previously recognized by the federal government. Federal records indicate that the group's federal acknowledgment status changed in the early 20th century through administrative actions by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), including actions taken by the Sacramento Indian Agency.
In 1989, the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe submitted a petition for federal acknowledgment under the BIA's Federal Acknowledgment Process (25 CFR Part 83). The federal acknowledgment process provides an administrative pathway for tribes to seek recognition and requires petitioners to demonstrate satisfaction of specific regulatory criteria related to historical continuity, community, and political authority.
There are three primary pathways through which federal recognition of a tribe may occur:
1. Administrative acknowledgment through the BIA Federal Acknowledgment Process;
2. An act of Congress; or
3. A federal court decision reviewing agency action.
Each pathway relies on legal and evidentiary standards, including historical, anthropological, and genealogical documentation, to establish a continu...
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