California Indian Heritage Center support organization

The law creates a tribal-centered structure for supporting the center’s programs, visitors, facilities, and long-term financial stability. It requires majority California Native American tribal representation on the support organization’s board.

What the law does ​

• Allows the Department of Parks and Recreation to contract with a qualifying California Indian Heritage Center support nonprofit.
• Authorizes the nonprofit to support center operations, programming, staff diversity, fundraising, marketing, educational access, visitor amenities, and department-managed capital improvements.
• Permits staff-sharing arrangements with safeguards barring the nonprofit from directly paying, supervising, or managing state employees.
• Requires the nonprofit to be a 501(c)(3), comply with charitable-fundraising oversight rules, and avoid directly managing state capital projects.
• Requires a board of up to 25 members, with at least 51% representing California Native American tribes, and a chief executive officer reporting to that board.
• Requires annual joint public meetings on the center’s operations and the nonprofit’s activities.
• Requires Department of Finance approval of the main partnership agreement and major amendments before supplementary agreements may proceed.
• Treats construction and repair work performed for the center on state property as public work.
• Does not require the state to provide funding to the support organization.

Who it affects ​

• California Native American tribes and tribal governments participating in center governance and partnerships.
• The California Indian Heritage Center support organization and its board.
• The Department of Parks and Recreation and its employees participating in approved staff-sharing arrangements.
• Visitors, including young and diverse audiences served by the center’s programs and facilities.

Context ​

The center is located in West Sacramento and is intended to preserve and share the living cultures of California Native American tribes.