Reid D. Milanovich, chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, carries with him a deep sense of responsibility. First elected to the Tribal Council in 2014 and elected as chairman in 2022, Milanovich calls the role of Tribal Chairman “an honor” and “something I take very, very seriously.”
The Tribe is steward to more than 34,000 acres of ancestral land. Palm Springs, Cathedral City, and Rancho Mirage span across the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation. With more than 3,000 employees, the Tribe is one of the largest employers in the Coachella Valley. The Tribe’s enterprises include three casinos, a resort and spa, multiple restaurants, golf courses, fuel stations, and the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza, which is home to The Spa at Séc-he and the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum.
“Every recorded voice, every picture, every video you see within the museum is someone of Agua Caliente descent,” Milanovich says.
The Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza has been named one of Time magazine’s “World’s Greatest Places.”
The Tribe also manages 60 miles of scenic hiking trails that draw more than 200,000 visitors annually.
This year marked two historic milestones: the opening of the Agua Caliente Tribal Court — “one of the most powerful tools in exercising our sovereign rights,” Milanovich says — and a settlement agreement of two decades-long water rights cases, ensuring “certainty, reliability, and sustainability” for the Coachella Valley’s future.
