Rahsaan J. Tilford

Rahsaan J. Tilford is Deputy General Counsel for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians (ACBCI) and its affiliated tribal corporation, where he serves as primary counsel to the Tribe’s Economic Development, Construction, and Planning Departments, among others. In that capacity, he has negotiated and finalized major construction contracts totaling nearly $150 million, including contracts for the Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City and the Agua Caliente Cultural Center, and has structured complex real estate transactions involving luxury residential development on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation. Mr. Tilford’s practice spans transactional law, federal Indian law, tax law, and land use, with a particular focus on advancing tribal sovereignty and economic self-determination. He has worked on legislation subsequently enacted by the California State Legislature requiring state courts to recognize tribal court tax judgments, and played a key role in a successful effort to amend California Department of Tax and Fee Administration Regulation 1616 to exempt food and beverage retailers from state sales tax on Indian reservations. Prior to joining ACBCI, Mr. Tilford served as Assistant City Attorney for the City of Oxnard and Deputy City Attorney for the City of Desert Hot Springs, and was an associate at Best Best & Krieger LLP, where he advised municipal and special district clients on governance, public contracting, land use, and transportation infrastructure. This background in municipal law informs his perspective on tribal-local government relations — the subject of his presentation today. Mr. Tilford received his J.D. from Tulane University Law School and his A.B. in History from Washington University in St. Louis. He is admitted to practice in California, Iowa, and the Agua Caliente Tribal Court, and has published on tribal law topics in the Riverside Lawyer.