Assembly hearing spotlights missing and murdered Indigenous people; tribes and law enforcement call for funding, training and better coordination

Tribal leaders, researchers and state and county law enforcement told the California State Assembly Select Committee on Native American Affairs that the state must act to address a longstanding crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people that they said is magnified by an underfunded legal framework and inconsistent local responses.

Cheyenne Stone, chairperson of the Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley, said historical violence remains current: "They shape the lived experience of Native American communities today," she said, describing forced removals and recent discoveries of human remains found during highway work in Owens Valley.

The committee heard recurring themes: calls for mandated and culturally informed law‑enforcement training, quicker and clearer use of the Feather Alert system, better data collection, sustained funding for tribal victim…