The Tribal Council of the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians is the governing body of the Tribe. The Council consists of five Tribal Members who are duly elected for three-year terms by the full Tribal Community Council, which includes all qualified voters 18 years of age and older.

The Rumsey Band is a sovereign Indian nation and is so recognized by the United States. Operating under the Tribe’s own constitution and bylaws, the Tribal Council enacts laws that govern its sovereign lands.

The Tribal Council oversees all areas of the tribal government and its business enterprises, evaluating and making the final decision with respect to the recommendations of the Tribe’s various departments and committees. Tribal committees, boards of directors and commissions operate all areas of government and community life. These include the Yocha-De-He Wintun Academy, Rumsey Rancheria Fire Department, Yocha-De-He Community Fund, Cultural Renewal Committee, Health & Wellness Committee, Yocha-De-He Farm and Ranch Operations, Tribal Gaming Agency and Cache Creek Casino Resort.

The Rumsey Band enjoys a productive government-to-government relationship with the State of California and the County of Yolo. As the Tribe’s governing body, the Tribal Council negotiates government-to-government agreements with the State and County. To date, these agreements govern the Tribe’s entertainment and hospitality operations, and provide the State and County with fire, police, transportation infrastructure and other improvements throughout the region. In 2003, the Governor of the State of California bestowed on the Tribe the state’s highest and most prestigious environmental honor, the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, in connection with its civil services agreement with Yolo County. The Tribe also is a signatory to an unprecedented Fire Mutual Aid Agreement. For the first time in Yolo County history, the Tribe’s fire department is a contributing member of the County’s emergency response force.