Celebrating 50 Years of the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission

Created in 1976 through a joint effort by the Los Angeles American Indian community and Los Angeles city and county governments, the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission (LANAIC) is celebrating 50 years of leadership and service.

In this recording of a program on October 12, 2026, community members and historians shared archives and stories about the commission’s founding and accomplishments and reflected on its future.   

The panel featured Amanda Wixon (Chickasaw Nation), associate curator of Native History and Culture at the Autry Museum of the American West; Lauren van Schilfgaarde (Cochiti Pueblo), assistant professor of law at UCLA Law; Dawn Jackson (Saginaw Chippewa), LANAIC commissioner; and Rudy Ortega Jr. (Fernandeño Tataviam), former LANAIC commissioner. Samuel Lopez (Gabrieleno San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians) and Chair Mark Villasenor (Fernandeño Tataviam) gave opening remarks.