For Veronica Sandoval, community service is inseparable from community itself.
A lifelong Santa Ynez Valley resident and a descendant of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, Sandoval has spent more than 30 years serving the tribe and the wider valley through education, philanthropy, cultural preservation, youth programs and volunteer leadership.
Read MoreDr. Katya Adachi Serrano, Serrano Natural Health founder, will speak at the next installment of the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center’s free Second Thursday at the museum lecture series, 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 at 3500 Numancia St., Santa Ynez.
Read MoreSANTA YNEZ, CA – Chumash Casino Resort will launch its annual Project Pink campaign Oct. 1, raising funds for the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Santa Barbara (BCRC) through the sale of pink-themed sweets, snacks, and drinks throughout the resort’s eateries. A portion of the proceeds, along with a dollar-for-dollar matching grant from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, will be donated to BCRC.
Read MoreSANTA YNEZ, CA – Singing, drumming, dancing and colorful regalia will return to Santa Ynez as Native American tribes from across North America gather for the Chumash Intertribal Powwow Oct. 3–4. The two-day gathering is the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ largest cultural event of the year, bringing together tribal communities for traditional song and dance, competitions, Native foods, arts and crafts, and other cultural activities.
Read MoreI am greeted by cast iron doors, engraved with spiraling pictographs and cool to the touch, even in the morning heat of June. I grip the handle—shaped, I'll learn, like a clapper stick, a traditional Chumash percussion instrument—and push it open. The sounds of birdsong, layered and ambient, rise toward a curved ceiling where light moves like cloud shadow. Here, what lies indoors simulates the beauty of the natural world.
Read MoreThe Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center will feature award-winning author and filmmaker Gary Robinson at its next free Second Thursday at the Museum lecture series, 5-8 p.m. Sept. 10 at 3500 Numancia St., Santa Ynez.
Read MoreThe Santa Ynez Tribal Health Clinic (SYTHC) will host its Community Resource Health Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, at the Tribal Hall on the Santa Ynez Reservation. The free event is open to the public and will feature wellness resources, nutrition information, family activities, raffle prizes, food trucks and more.
Read MoreTribal leaders and project partners gathered at the Chumash Reservation Tribal Hall to celebrate the first successful fiber connections on the Reservation Wednesday. The gathering acknowledged the progress made through a multi-year, grant-funded effort, recognized the partnership with Cal.net and stakeholders who have helped advance the work, and highlighted the importance of reliable broadband access.
Read MoreLong before Dr. Nicolasa “Niki” Sandoval became a nationally respected education leader, she was a first-generation college student trying to figure out what came next.
Read MoreSANTA YNEZ VALLEY, Calif., August 5, 2026 —Member of Team Chumash, the volunteer group from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, will spend the morning of August 10 volunteering at Shepherd Giving Farm, Veggie Rescue’s newest program, located west of Buellton. Volunteers will plant new crops, weed, and harvest tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and ambrosia cantaloupes.
Read MoreAfter generations away from their homelands, approximately 167 Chumash ancestors and more than 2,000 cultural items have returned to the Santa Ynez Valley from collections held by Harvard and Yale.
Read MoreSANTA YNEZ, CA – June 30, 2026 — The Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center will host the next installment of its free “Second Thursday at the Museum” lecture series on Thursday, July 9, featuring former University of California professor, author and anthropologist Paul H. Gelles.
Read MoreJust after celebrating its one-year anniversary, the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center is offering new experiences including a self-guided audio tour, a free event series, and a gallery of paintings by Christopher Evans.
Read MoreThe first Second Thursday at the Museum event, part of a new monthly series at the Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center, will be 5-8 p.m. Thursday, June 11.
Read MoreSANTA YNEZ, CA – May 27, 2026 — The Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center has officially launched a vibrant new temporary fine art exhibition and its highly-anticipated self-guided audio tour, while also introducing its new “Second Thursday at the Museum” lecture series that will be free to the public.
Read MoreThe Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center will celebrate its first anniversary Friday, featuring a special evening with artist Christopher Evans.
Read MoreOn Saturday, more than 250 people attended the 18th annual Chumash Earth Day celebration put on by the Santa Ynez Chumash Environmental Office (SYCEO).
Santa Ynez Chumash community members and the wider public gathered at Kitiyepumu’ Park in the Santa Ynez Reservation to peruse the booths of about 30 organizations, all united by a shared care for the Earth and its resources.
SANTA YNEZ, CA – April 6, 2026 – The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ Environmental Department will host its annual free Chumash Earth Day event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, at Kitiyepumu’ Park, located on the Santa Ynez Reservation at 100 Via Juana Road in Santa Ynez.
Read MoreTo assist Santa Barbara County schools that are struggling to meet the classroom technology needs of their students, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated some $93,000 to 13 area schools that applied for grants through its foundation’s Technology in Schools Program for the 2025-26 school year.
Read MoreA scenic two-hour drive from Santa Clarita can feel like a small getaway without the commitment of an overnight stay. For many Southern California residents, a day trip to Chumash Casino Resort in the Santa Ynez Valley offers a blend of entertainment, dining and relaxation set against the backdrop of wine country.
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