Episode 69: Advising CA Tribal Policy
“The best available science is inclusive of tribal knowledge and tribal science, but we don’t define it. We don’t have the ability to define it. That is defined by the citizens of any particular region, tribal citizens, based on their knowledge of that watershed, that region. And it’s different for every tribe.”
A conversation with Anecita Agustinez (state tribal policy advisor, California Department of Water Resources) about water governance and expertise around challenging policy issues. Released February 7, 2025.
guests on the show
Anecita Agustinez
Anecita Agustinez has served as our tribal policy advisor since August 2013. Agustinez has over 30 years of advocacy experience on behalf of California’s Native American tribes. She provides policy support and recommendations regarding tribal issues to the director and chief deputy director and has been actively engaged with our projects and programs, assisting with tribal consultation and development of the DWR Tribal Consultation Policy.
Before joining DWR, Agustinez served as the Native American liaison and manager of the Office of Legislative and External Affairs and the Office of Health Access at the Department of Health Care Services. She previously served as the assistant director of the Office of Native American Affairs at the Department of Justice in the Office of the Attorney General. Her experience includes developing and conducting training in the areas of tribal consultation and cultural competency. Agustinez studied political science at Stanford University and is a tribal citizen of the Dine (Navajo) nation.