DECLARING THE SECOND MONDAY IN OCTOBER
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY IN LAKE COUNTY
WHEREAS, the area now known as Lake County has been home to people for greater than 12,000 years, and the richly diverse cultures of the seven Tribal Nations indigenous to Lake County, Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California, Koi Nation of Northern California, Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California and Elem Indian Colony, have informed every aspect of our community’s history; and
WHEREAS, policies and practices of the United States and earlier colonial governments deprived Indigenous People in the State of California and Lake County, specifically, of landholdings, liberty, even life itself; and
WHEREAS, the County of Lake is committed to protecting rights of Tribal organizations and institutions to strengthen their own communities as well as recognizing and celebrating achievements in areas such as governance, environmental stewardship, agriculture, and the arts; and
WHEREAS, Indigenous Peoples’ Day was first proposed to the United Nations more than forty years ago and is now celebrated in many states, counties, cities, and school systems across the United States; and
WHEREAS, in January 2019, Lake proudly became the first United States County with two concurrently seated American Indian Supervisors; and
WHEREAS, on September 11, 2026 the County of Lake and the seven indigenous Tribal Nations signed a first of its kind in California, Memorandum of Understanding for a Co-Management Agreement for the Clear Lake Watershed which will strengthen the collaborative relationship between all parties to protect and restore the entire watershed; and
WHEREAS, we have a responsibility to lead in honoring and celebrating the legacy of all of America’s Indigenous Peoples, their histories and cultures, and particularly those indigenous to Lake County.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED that the Lake County Board of Supervisors declares the second Monday in October Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Lake County.