SANTA YNEZ BAND OF CHUMASH INDIANS NAMED A CLEAN CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY
SANTA YNEZ, CA – January 13, 2026 – The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has been named a “Clean California Community,” becoming one of 39 communities across the state, including San Luis Obispo County and the City of San Luis Obispo, to earn the distinction.
Environmentally conscious programs and its enterprise employees’ involvement in clean-up events helped the tribe complete the required criteria to earn the designation. Efforts include picking up trash along Highways 246 and 154 as part of Caltrans’ the Adopt-a-Highway program, and the Santa Ynez Chumash Environmental Office serving as site captain in Goleta for California Coastal Cleanup Day and being joined by employees from “Team Chumash,” the tribe’s volunteer group, to collect trash from the beach. In addition, innovative recycling programs and community partnerships continue to help the Chumash Casino Resort achieve a 91.9 percent waste-diversion rate from local landfills – an accomplishment that earned the resort TRUE© Zero Waste distinction from Green Business Certification Inc. in 2019.
The Clean California Community Designation Program is part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $1.2 billion Clean California initiative, which was launched in 2021 by Caltrans to clean up, reclaim, transform, and beautify public spaces statewide. The program was developed in partnership with Caltrans, Keep America Beautiful, and Keep California Beautiful.
“Our tribe is proud of our Team Members’ contributions of both time and effort to keep the areas around our resort clean, while also volunteering to support larger causes that are focused on improving the environment,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “Being named a Clean California Community is a testament to our resort’s leadership and the great work of our Team Members who understand the importance of being stewards of the land.”
In recognition of its dedication to a cleaner community, the resort will receive “Clean California Community” signage, educational resources, automatic membership with Keep California Beautiful, and recognition in statewide releases and cross-promotional Clean California materials.
The designation can be pursued by various entities, including cities, towns, counties, municipal districts, military bases, neighborhood groups, school districts, houses of worship areas, community group service areas, business improvement districts, watershed groups, and other unincorporated entities.
For a complete list of Clean California Community recognition recipients, visit www.cleanca.com/clean-ca-designated-communities/.
Since July 2021, Caltrans’ Clean California initiative and its local partners have removed more than 3.3 million cubic yards of litter from roadsides and public spaces – enough to fill about 115,000 garbage trucks. Caltrans also hosted more than 650 free dump days in communities throughout the state, resulting in the collection of 15,500-plus mattresses and 57,000 tires. The initiative has enlisted 72,000-plus community clean-up volunteers and created thousands of jobs, including positions for individuals who were formerly incarcerated on probation or experiencing housing insecurity.
Keep California Beautiful is a statewide non-profit dedicated to litter prevention, alternative waste management, beautification, community networking, and outreach. Founded in 1990, its mission is to ignite individuals, state and local government, community, and corporate responsibility, through strategic initiatives and volunteer action, to preserve and protect California’s beautiful resources for generations to come.
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians owns and operates the Chumash Casino Resort, which is located on the tribe’s reservation on Highway 246 in Santa Ynez, CA. Among other holdings, the tribe also has two Solvang, CA, hotels – Corque Hotel and The Hadsten Solvang – and Chumash Fuel N Go, which is next to its resort. As the largest employer in the Santa Ynez Valley, the tribe employs more than 2,000 residents of Santa Barbara County.