In a major leadership shakeup, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians members elected former Chairman Jeff L. Grubbe to lead the tribe again. He succeeds Reid D. Milanovich, son of the powerful former longtime chairman, Richard Milanovich, who died in 2012.
Because the tribe’s elections are conducted privately, with adult tribe members over 21 eligible to vote, it’s not clear whether Reid Milanovich left the post voluntarily or sought another term and was defeated.
Grubbe was elected chairman March 17 and will serve a two-year term, a tribal spokesperson announced in early April. Grubbe and Milanovich did not respond to requests for comment about the leadership shakeup.
Election results were certified April 7, and the newly elected council members were sworn in the same day, said Kate Anderson, the tribe’s director of public relations.
She directed follow-up inquiries from The Desert Sun to a press release announcing the election results and the tribe’s website, neither of which contain any other information on the change.
The tribal council serves as the tribe’s governing body, setting policy, enacting laws and carrying out the direction of tribal members. It is made up of five elected members and four appointed proxy members.
Other council positions remained largely unchanged. Vice Chairman Anthony W. Purnel and Secretary-Treasurer Savana R. Saubel will continue their terms, while Moraino J. Patencio and Vincent Gonzales III were elected to one-year terms on the council.
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is based in Palm Springs and oversees more than 34,032 acres of reservation lands, or 53 square miles that spread across Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Rancho Mirage and extend into the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains.
The tribe wields major influence on local politics and development that extends beyond its members. Because of the “checkerboard” pattern of its reservation, which was officially established 150 years ago, tribal members own roughly half the land over a large swath of the western Coachella Valley.
Much of that land is rented to non-tribal members, and thousands of homes and businesses are on tribal land. That means people own their homes, but must lease the land underneath from a tribal member at a negotiated rate.
Milanovich’s tenure
Milanovich shared nothing publicly about his next steps, though he announced the birth of his son, Cooper Richard Milanovich, in November 2025.
Milanovich was elected chairman in 2022, after serving as vice chairman. He succeeded Grubbe, who served in the top post from 2012 to 2022.
He is the son of the late Richard M. Milanovich, who led the tribe for 28 years and became a prominent figure in local and national tribal affairs, particularly through negotiations that expanded gaming opportunities for California tribes. Under his leadership, the tribe opening a new resort-casino in Rancho Mirage and expanded its small downtown Palm Springs casino. He died in 2012 after a long battle with cancer.
Despite his father’s long legacy, Reid Milanovich has said he did not develop an interest in serving on the council until 2011, after returning to Palm Springs following his graduation from California Baptist University.
“He had always imagined me having some type of role within the tribe,” Milanovich told The Desert Sun in 2014. “We never talked specifically about what it would be, but I think we all knew that there was something for me.”
He first ran for the tribal council in 2013 and narrowly lost, later serving as a proxy member. He was subsequently elected in 2014, becoming the council’s youngest member at the time. He went on to serve as vice chairman in 2019 before being elected chairman three years later.
During his tenure as chairman, the tribe advanced several major initiatives, including the opening of the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza and Museum in downtown Palm Springs, a long-anticipated project aimed at sharing the tribe’s history and culture.
The tribe also broke ground on two new fuel stations, one in Palm Springs and one in Cathedral City, that will join its existing one in Rancho Mirage. Tribal stations are popular fill-up spots since they offer cheaper gas than typical stations.
Two long-running water rights disputes with Coachella Valley Water District and Desert Water Agency were also settled under his leadership.
And in a first for ancestral land rights, the state returned more than 1,200 acres between 2023 and 2025 to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, expanding the territory under the tribe’s stewardship in a series of historic agreements.
Grubbe begins new term as chairman
Grubbe was initially elected chairman in 2012 after six years on the tribal council, including five as vice chairman. He then led the tribe for a decade until Milanovich’s election in 2022. A tribal spokesperson said at the time that Grubbe chose not to seek reelection in 2022 to explore new opportunities.
On LinkedIn, Grubbe identifies himself as a partner at Tribal Solutions Group, LLC, which offers consulting and other services for tribal governments on healthcare, education and broadband expansion and launched its medical division during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His work for the tribe spans decades. He began as a table games shift manager in 1999 when he joined the Agua Caliente Casinos tribal intern program.
Grubbe has served the tribe in a range of roles, including on the child development committee, election board and gaming commission, among others. Before joining the tribal council, he was a data entry clerk for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
He also follows a family legacy of service, as his grandfather served on the tribal council, according to the tribe’s website.
He graduated from Palm Springs High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in information systems from the University of Redlands. He also attended Haskell Indian Nations University, where he earned a two-year degree and played football.
In a statement published April 7 on LinkedIn, the day the election results were certified, Grubbe wrote that he is returning as the tribe’s chairman with “strength, humility, and purpose.”
He also acknowledged the service of his predecessor, Milanovich, and the demands of the role.
“Leadership at this level is never easy. It requires making touch decisions, carrying the weight of responsibility, and staying focused on the long-term health of the Tribe,” Grubbe wrote. “His time in this role contributed to where we stand today, and that deserves acknowledgment and respect.”
As he returns to the role of chairman, Grubbe has given few specifics about his plans but said he takes the post with a clear purpose.
“We have real opportunities in front of us, but also real challenges. The path forward will require unity, discipline, and a willingness to make decisions that put our people first — always,” he said.
Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Major power shift for Agua Caliente tribe; Grubbe back, Milanovich out
Reporting by Jennifer Cortez, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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