Greg Sarris to step down as Graton Rancheria chairman, ending transformative tenure leading Sonoma County tribe into prosperity and political power

Greg Sarris, who led the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria out of obscurity and relative poverty into a place of financial and political power rare among most Native American tribes, is planning to retire from his longtime position as tribal chairman by the end of the year, multiple sources confirmed.

Sarris, 74, declined an interview request, and the federation of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo bands would not confirm the news through a public relations representative.

But Sarris' intent to step down has been a well-known secret among those close to Graton Rancheria, and it was openly revealed during a public event Thursday, July 16, at the Finley Center in Santa Rosa to mark the release of Sarris' latest book, "The Last Human Bear."

During an on-stage interview, fellow Bay Area author Rebecca Solnit asked Sarris what would come next after he followed through on plans to resign his chairmanship, according to people who were in attendance - including a Press Democrat photographer.

Sarris told Solnit and the audience of at least 200 people that he would focus on his writing.

"It's safe to say the man is a force, and has done very well by the tribe," said Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt, who has worked on initiatives with Sarris since joining the board in 2011. "Obviously, that facility is very successful."

"That facility" is the Graton Resort & Casino, the Bay Area's largest gambling destination, opened in 2013 and is now in the next stage of a $1 billion expansion.

It isn't clear what led Sarris to choose this moment to walk away, whether Graton Rancheria has a succession plan, what the process will be for selecting the next chair or how involved Sarris might remain in tribal decisions once he has relinquished the post.

He is the only chairman the tribal federation has ever had.

That tenure began in 1992, when Sarris, then an assistant English professor at UCLA, led Graton's push to gain federal recognition. It took eight years for the federation to win that recognition, with Congress passing the Graton Rancheria Restoration Act in December 2000.

The legislation paved the way, eventually, for the 2008 acquisition of 254 acres of land formerly inside the city of Rohnert Park. Graton Resort & Casino rose on those parcels, now standing out as Sonoma County's largest private employer.

And the gaming resort continues to grow. New restaurants and a smoke-free slot floor with 2,000 more machines opened in May. Next up is another 200-room hotel wing, and eventually, a 3,800-seat entertainment venue that would be larger than all of the county's other performance stages combined.

Rohnert Park City Councilmember Gerard Giudice likened Sarris' exit to that of Bill Walsh, who walked away from the San Francisco 49ers' sidelines shortly after leading the team to consecutive Super Bowl wins.

Along with the financial prosperity deriving from the casino has come political clout. The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria were America's largest tribal donor in federal elections in the 2023-24 spending cycle, contributing a total of $5.85 million. Sarris directed funds to a range of progressive and Democratic political action committees, though he sprinkled the federation's money among Republican causes as well once Donald Trump took office for the second time.

Graton's political spending came into focus again last month, when the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into members of Newsom's inner circle, including his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. The investigation appeared to revolve around "behested payments" made to PACs established by Siebel Newsom. The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria were the largest donor to one of those committees, the California Partners Project.

There is no indication at this time that the tribe is under investigation in the matter. And while Sarris has declined to comment on that spending by the tribe, the donations are part of a larger sphere of largesse that has made Graton Rancheria a significant philanthropic player.

Locally, Graton has become a key benefactor for Sonoma County Regional Parks and the Redwood Empire Food Bank, while donating $3.5 million for construction of the library branch in Santa Rosa's Roseland neighborhood. It has also given $2.5 million to the University of California to fund Native American student tuition and $15 million to UCLA School of Law for students studying tribal law.

It's hard to picture that transformation without Sarris, who weathered early suspicions and outright hostility among Sonoma County and Rohnert Park elected officials and residents, who fought the Graton casino plan based on concerns over well water, traffic and crime.

Graton Rancheria under Sarris' chairmanship has been active in the courtroom as well, fending off potential rivals in the local gaming business.

Sarris emerged as the leading voice of opposition against a casino proposed by the Koi Nation of Northern California, a small Pomo band, in the Shiloh neighborhood just outside Windsor, 11 miles to the north of Graton Resort & Casino. That advocacy has included an ongoing lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior, which approved the Koi proposal in the final days of the Biden administration.

Sarris has argued, in legal papers and in the press, that the Koi have no legitimate claim to Sonoma County homeland, and that Graton Rancheria was not adequately consulted in the Interior Department's evaluation process. He has made similar comments regarding an effort by the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians to secure the rights to a casino site near Vallejo.

Both the Koi and Scotts Valley bands reject Sarris' arguments.

In his opposition to the Koi project, in particular, Sarris has moved to the forefront of a broad coalition that includes officials at the state, county and city level, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

That's in stark contrast to his early campaign to gain recognition for the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, and to build a sprawling gambling complex in a pocket carved out of Rohnert Park. In those endeavors, it took Sarris years to gain the trust - or at least the cooperation - of other local leaders.

"At the beginning, if you remember, the casino was either going to be Armageddon or this magical cash flow," said Supervisor Rabbitt. "From the county's perspective, it's now just part of the fabric of that community. We've had a good and proper relationship with the tribe, considering you're dealing with a sovereign nation. And I think the county has benefited."

Giudice, who was elected in 2020 and served as Rohnert Park's mayor the next year, said he quickly learned of many values he shared with Sarris, including social and environmental justice. His admiration deepened during renegotiations over the city's memorandum of understanding with the tribal body, talks that were triggered by the casino expansion.

"We quite candidly didn't have much in our haversacks," Giudice said. "Given the Chicken Ranch Rancheria decision (which limited what the state could demand in negotiations over tribal compacts), he could have walked away and said, ‘We don't have to compensate you.' But he didn't. I think that speaks to his character."

The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria give $13.3 million annually to Rohnert Park, money that is earmarked for things like fire equipment, public safety officers and city beautification.

"In our budget last year, we had to lay off five individuals," Giudice said. "If we hadn't gotten money from the casino, we would have laid off more than that."

Along the way, Sarris also overcame accusations that he contrived his Native American heritage to assume a leadership role with the tribal federation. He was born to a mother of European descent and, when she died shortly after his birth, he was raised in Santa Rosa by a middle-class white family. It wasn't until he was a graduate student at Stanford University that he discovered his father, whom he never knew, had Miwok and Pomo blood.

As an adolescent, Sarris learned American Indian customs and tradition from legendary Pomo basket weaver Mabel McKay.

Sarris' personal reputation has grown along with his tribal federation's prominence. He is a member of the UC Board of Regents and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and until recently was on the board of trustees of both the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian and the Sundance Institute. Rabbitt cited Sarris' involvement with stewardship of Tolay Lake Regional Park, which has rich connections to Indigenous history and culture.

Those sorts of activities are likely to keep Sarris busy long after he steps away from the Graton chairmanship, as will his writing projects. He has authored a novel, six short story collections (including "The Last Human Bear") and three works of nonfiction.

You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @Skinny_Post.

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This story was originally published July 18, 2026 at 9:57 AM.