Tribal Coordination
Tribal Coordination and Collaboration
Partnerships with Tribal Nations are essential to emergency management, planning and preparedness, and response and recovery. Building effective relationships with tribes are a natural step in communities coming together and working to build a more resilient and better prepared community.
The role of the Office of Tribal Coordination (OTC) is to improve and maintain communication and collaboration between the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and all Native American Tribes in California. Our office aims to create effective collaboration and provide relevant information, that allow for informed decision-making, where all parties can share a goal of reaching an informed decision together. OTC’s office priorities are to educate internal and external agencies and partners, to become informed about the cultural settings of California Native Americans, understand and relay their priorities for emergency management and homeland security issues, as well as provide cultural awareness and sensitivity, for the purpose of improving Cal OES’s understanding of all Native American Tribes and related issues in California.
Executive Order B-10-11 is intended to implement effective government to government consultation with California Indian Tribes on policies that affect tribal communities. As a result, Cal OES released the Cal OES Tribal Consultation Policy.
Roles and Responsibilities
Tribal Monitors, Cal OES, and partners collaborating on the impacts of the Caldor/Dixie fire.
During non-emergency periods, the Office of Tribal Coordination will collaborate with Tribal Nations by sharing resource information, including grant and training opportunities, as well as providing consultation and technical assistance. The OTC also coordinates Tribal Nation visits in collaboration with local, state, and federal partners to listen to Tribal issues, share successes, implement best practices, and provide resources when available to develop, foster, and strengthen Tribal relationships.
During Disasters, the OTC assists the Tribes with unmet needs, shares information on disaster assistance programs, shelters, and evacuations, as well as provides technical assistance on the recovery process. In addition, OTC attends Tribal Public Forums and coordinates in person meetings with our local, Tribal, Federal, and State partners. The OTC also develops and delivers critical tribal sovereignty and culture resource sensitivity training to Cal OES and partners.
Training Opportunities
The California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI) delivers specialized training throughout California, offering more than a hundred course titles in the areas of emergency management, criminal justice and homeland security, hazardous materials, disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, and crisis communications.
Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute provides more than 200,000 titles encompass the entire gamut of natural and manmade hazards from fires and hurricanes to tornadoes and flooding, from chemical and biological to radiological and nuclear hazards. The emergency management, fire, and emergency medical services collections in particular have the greatest depth and breadth of any in the United States.
Grant Opportunities
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Grants Management oversees grants opportunities in the areas of homeland security, emergency management, public safety, and victim services programs. Click on the link below to access Cal OES grants available to Tribal Nations.
The California Grants Portal is a destination to find all grants and loans offered on a competitive or first-come basis by California state agencies.
