Missing and Murdered Indigenous People summit comes to Sacramento region
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- California tribes convene in Wheatland for a two-day summit on MMIP solutions.
- Over 1,000 attendees expected; summit urges agencies to focus on recovery services.
- Tribes and state partners will pursue policy, task forces and justice-oriented reforms.
Tribes from across California are meeting at the Hard Rock Hotel Casino Sacramento in Wheatland on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis.
The casino is owned by the Enterprise Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California. The annual event convenes legislators, tribal leaders, families and victims affected by MMIP.
California currently has the fifth most MMIP cases in the country. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend the two-day summit, according to the Yurok tribe. The focus of the event will be tribal solutions to MMIP. Tribes will also discuss underlying factors that cause obstacles in solving cases, according to the event’s news release.
Assemblymember James Ramos, who is Serrano/Cahuilla, said the summit serves as a resource for legislators, law enforcement and community leaders on navigating MMIP. He added that the summit is a reminder that agencies need to focus on wraparound recovery services for victims.
“This work ensures continued attention and momentum on an issue that creates a rippling effect of trauma on victims and their loved ones.” Ramos said in a news release.
Many factors
In May 2025, Sacramento County launched a task force to investigate current and cold MMIP cases. This group partners with Wilton Rancheria, the only federally recognized tribe in Sacramento County and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
“The MMIP crisis is entrenched in the historical traumas of colonization, enslavement, boarding schools and the federal and state-sanctioned genocide that reduced California’s Native populations by 90%,” a news release from the Yurok Tribe stated. “Decades of marginalization have only deepened the vulnerability of Indigenous communities, resulting in high rates of poverty, lack of housing and child welfare disparities. These are among the many factors that have fueled the MMIP crisis.”
Rob Bonta, California’s attorney general, was scheduled to give a keynote address on Wednesday. He promised that as attorney general he would continue to make “meaningful structural change” to combatting MMIP, while letting tribal communities lead the way.
“This event exemplifies how change happens — not through one bill, or one meeting, or one conference — but through sustained commitment, relentless advocacy, and shared responsibility,” Bonta said in a news release. “...We will continue to follow the lead of Tribal communities to partner in justice and create the change we need to see.”
Prevent future cases
The summit is organized by the Yurok tribe, which is based in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. The tribe has spearheaded several prevention efforts and has served as a vocal advocate to combatting the MMIP crisis. Northern California has the largest percentage of MMIP cases in the state, with 36% coming from Yurok country, according to the Yurok Tribal Court.
“California tribes are standing together to say, ‘No More’” said Chairman Joseph James in a news release. “Through intertribal cooperation and collaboration with state partners, we are working on policy and legislative solutions designed to prevent future MMIP cases and bring justice to countless families affected by this crisis.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2026 at 12:43 PM.
