Tribal Consultation

San Diego County is home to more tribal nations than any other county in the United States. Native American reservations are comprised of more than 127,000 acres in the San Diego region, accounting for approximately 4% of the region’s land base. All tribal nations are located within the unincorporated eastern portion of the county.

SANDAG maintains formal agreements with the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association (SCTCA) to collaborate with the region’s 17 sovereign tribal nations. We are responsible for ensuring that our plans for the region protect tribal lands, culture, and resources throughout every stage of the process.

For more than 20 years, collaboration efforts with the SCTCA and tribes in the San Diego region have continued and expanded through regular convenings such as quarterly Interagency Technical Working Group on Tribal Transportation Issues (Tribal TWG) and monthly Tribal Task Force meetings, Tribal Symposiums held jointly with the Borders Committee, and quadrennial Tribal Summits held jointly with the Board of Directors. These convenings provide multiple opportunities for meaningful collaboration for the future of the San Diego region.

Executive Order 13175 requires consultation and coordination with Indian tribal governments.

Map of Tribal Lands

Map of San Diego Region depicting the 18 Tribal Lands, Local Jurisdictions, Cleveland National Forest, and Military Facilities.

    SANDAG has a significant history working with tribal governments in the region. The first San Diego Regional Tribal Summit was hosted by SANDAG in 2002 and brought together elected leaders from the 19 local governments who make up the Board of Directors and the SCTCA. In 2007, SANDAG and the SCTCA signed an agreement that gave tribes an advisory role on the SANDAG Board of Directors and policy advisory committees, solidifying a unique local government-to-government framework.

    The government-to-government framework between tribal governments and SANDAG assures meaningful engagement in complex regional planning and policy decisions. This type of arrangement is uncommon at the local or regional level, as it has been most applied at the state and federal levels.

    For the past decade, the principal focus of regional consultation and collaboration with tribal nations has been tribal transportation. At SANDAG we acknowledge that the transportation system must support the needs of federally recognized tribal nations whose reservations are in the sparsely populated eastern rural areas of the region. Since 2007, each update of the Regional Transportation Plan has considered, analyzed, and reprioritized issues and actions of mutual interest. Collaboration efforts and areas of mutual interest have expanded over the years and include several topics and themes. A sample of those topics as well as related efforts include:

    • Tribal Transportation
    • Housing
    • Climate
    • Conservation
    • Energy
    • Economic Development
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • Broadband
    • Cultural Resources
    • Public Safety
    • Information Sharing/Technical Assistance

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