Snoqualmie Tribal Chairman Robert de Los Angeles was awarded a Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service from the King County Council earlier this month.
The annual award recognizes one individual from each of the county’s nine council districts whose work answers the question of “What are you doing for others?”
King County Councilmember Sarah Perry, who represents East King County, nominated de Los Angeles, calling him “beloved in our area” for his commitment to the Tribe and Snoqualmie Valley community.
“Through his leadership and dedication, Chairman de los Angeles has built trust and fostered regional partnerships resulting in significant impacts throughout King County and beyond,” Perry said in a statement. “For this reason and more, Chairman de los Angeles was the clear choice when thinking of an award honoring Dr. King’s legacy…”
In an announcement of the award, de Los Angeles was praised for his “unprecedented leadership” in a broad number of state and local initiatives. The announcement credits de Los Angeles for leading regional efforts to increase protections for culturally significant and sacred tribal sites, banning mechanized mining in rivers and coastal waters and working to pass comprehensive climate change legislation.
Locally, he is credited for a COVID-era vaccination campaign in the Valley, Sammamish and Issaquah and a recent partnership with Eastside Fire & Rescue for a new emergency aid vehicle.
Chairman de Los Angeles has served in Tribal leadership since 2012, previously as a council member and vice chairmen. He is also the current president of the Snoqualmie Valley Governments Association, an inter-government group composed of leaders from the Tribe and the Valley’s four cities.
According to a news release, he was raised on a family farm in Woodinville. Upon graduating high school, he spent five years in the U.S. Army, including one in Korea. Afterwards he worked for three decades in the steel trades while raising four sons in Monroe with his wife, Debbie.
In a statement, de Los Angeles said he was happy to accept the award on behalf of the Snoqualmie Tribe, emphasizing his achievements were the result of collective action.
“I am only one member of our tribe, and every achievement that has occurred during my time has come collectively,” he said. “Snoqualmie People have for generations embodied Dr. King’s values of people working together collectively to do the right thing and do it the right way – with love, compassion, with truth and without violence.”
