Wilton Rancheria Chairman Jesus G. Tarango Jr. was born and raised in Sacramento, his traditional homeland as a Miwok/Nisenan tribal member. In 2020, at the age of 40, he became the youngest tribal member to be elected chairman.

 

Tarango is dedicated to preserving traditional tribal and community values, building an economically sound infrastructure for his people and restoring the language and culture for all Wilton community members. He has danced and sung traditionally, from childhood into adulthood, alongside his tribal brothers and sisters under legendary dance captain Bill Franklin and has made it a priority to instill tribal values in his six children.

 

First elected to Wilton’s tribal council in 2016, Tarango’s demand for transparency in tribal government earned him the post of Tribal Council spokesperson and followed with his election as Vice Chairman in 2018.

 

Tarango has also been a strong voice for the cause of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). His goals are not only to bring change to his Wilton community members but also to disenfranchised communities across California. 

Glenda Nelson is the Tribal Chairperson and Elder of the Estom Yumeka Maidu Tribe of the Enterprise Rancheria, a sovereign American Indian nation of 1,072 tribal citizens.  Glenda has served on Tribal Council since 2003.  She served two years as the Tribal Council Treasurer prior to becoming the Tribal Chairperson in 2005.  Her term as Tribal Chairperson was renewed thru 2025, at which time she will have served on Tribal Council for over 22 years.

 

She was born and raised on the Enterprise Rancheria.  Her grandmother and father both instilled the importance, honor and duty that she feels to serve her Native People -- to protect the Rancheria lands and sovereign rights of the Native Nations. 

 

Glenda is the eldest of her six siblings. Coming from a broken home, she was sent to a Native American school for youth, suffered many hurdles, but was one of the very first Native American youth to have graduated College through the assistance of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the 1970’s in the State of California.  She has a heartfelt passion for children affected by the Indian Child Welfare Act and works passionately in a leadership role to help identify services and programs available.

 

Chairperson Nelson has worked with and lead the Enterprise Rancheria Tribal Council for over two decades.  In October 2019 the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain opened and brings many resources to help the tribe provide for its members.  Glenda brings many years of gaming, financial, legal and educational experience to the leadership of her tribe, local community and on national forums.

Johnny Hernandez, Jr. is serving his first term as Vice

Chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians,

following service as Tribal Secretary and Business Committee

Member. His dedication to his Tribal community is built on

the commitment to take care of one another and build a

strong educational foundation.

 

Hernandez believes education is essential for a better future

and a means toward individual self-sufficiency, which is

critical in the building of a community. He serves as Chair

of the San Manuel Education Board, leading the board’s

focused efforts in revitalizing the Tribe’s Serrano language

and culture. Hernandez is committed to ensure Tribal Citizens

from an early age have the opportunity to learn Serrano

and the rich history of the San Manuel Band of Mission

Indians.

 

Hernandez is a passionate advocate for AB 1703, a bill

currently moving through the California State Assembly

that will encourage schools to work with the local tribes

in their region to ensure the true and historical account of

Native Americans are incorporated into the school curriculum.

He is working with San Bernardino County Office of

Education who is a region lead in developing a Native

American.

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Vice Chairman Hernandez is honored to continue the

tradition of working with the San Manuel General Council

and Business Committee to preserve what is fundamentally

valuable to the Yuhaaviatam, or “People of the Pines”,

including their community, unique form of government,

and the Serrano culture within which the San Manuel Tribal

community is deeply rooted.

Rincon Chairman Bo Mazzetti grew up and lives on the Rincon Reservation.

 

Following his father’s example, Mazzetti was elected Tribal Chairman in 2007, and is now serving his fifth-consecutive term of office. He served previous terms as Vice Chairman and Council Member.

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Mazzetti serves as President of the San Luis Rey Water Indian Water Authority, a consortium of five tribes that have been engaged in political and legal activities for 40 plus years to secure water resources lost through federal granting of tribal water rights to local cities.  

 

A founder and active member of the Southern California Tribal Chairman’s Association (SCTCA), Mazzetti has been working with chairpersons in Northern and Central California to recreate a revitalized California Tribal Chairman’s Association.

 

Making a difference in Sacramento, Mazzetti has overseen initiatives such as placing a tribal staff in the Governor’s cabinet, and hiring of a tribal person as liaison to the state’s water authority.  He serves on the Governor’s Drought Task Force, and as a chief organizer of Indian Day in Sacramento.

 

Formerly employed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Southern California Agency in Riverside, Mazzetti served as the first Indian Community Affairs and Citizen Assistance Officer for San Diego County.