Assembly and Senate Ratify San Manual Compact

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, who back in June rejected a MOA to its compact with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger believing that the nonbinding side agreements agreed to by the other four tribes set a bad precedent, yesterday saw their amended compact ratified by the state legislature. Upon being signed by the governor, the legislation would take effect Jan. 1. The compact still must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Interior for final approval.

Unlike memorandums of agreement that the other four tribes negotiated with the Assembly, San Manuel negotiated a narrower “letter of agreement” with the governor.

San Manuel agreed to adhere to existing federal minimum operating standards and to provide the state with copies of annual financial audits, including those that it must submit to the National Indian Gaming Commission.

But, in contrast to the other tribes, San Manuel's side agreement does not address problem gambling or require tribal enforcement of spousal and child support orders. San Manuel already has a comprehensive program to combat compulsive gambling, and the tribe requires its employees to comply with family support orders.

That was good enough for the Assembly. The measure containing the side agreement was amended into a Núñez bill.
The San Manuel compact now enjoys relatively broad support and seems certain to avoid facing a referendum, like those pending against the other four tribes: Sycuan of El Cajon, Pechanga of Temecula, Morongo of east Riverside County and Agua Caliente of Palm Springs. If enough signatures are gathered, the referenda will be on the Feb. 5 ballot.

UNITE HERE and the California Labor Federation, the state's dominant labor organization, support San Manuel's agreement.
“They've negotiated a contract and their workers have a voice on the job and we think that's the most important thing,” said Jack Gribbon, UNITE HERE's point man in California. “But there are many other issues of importance to taxpayers and other tribes in the state.”

Gribbon said San Manuel would not have been included in the referenda drive. It's doubtful that two other tribes – Pala of San Diego County and United Auburn of suburban Sacramento – and two horse racing tracks that are also financing the signature gathering would proceed independently against San Manuel. Spokesmen for two tribes and the tracks declined to comment.

San Manuel's tribal leaders have told state officials that they plan to add 3,000 slots as soon as possible.

On a side note concerning the referendum effort, Cheryl Schmit, leader of the gambling watchdog Stand Up for California, has accepted a paid position to help the campaign expand the coalition opposed to compacts for the four tribes who signed the MOA’s.

The administration, Schmit said, "developed a very focused public policy on gaming" in it's earlier compacts. The pending agreements, she said "are nothing more than business deals" that encourage massive expansions.

A spokesman for the four tribes noted the agreements contain the same broad local community and environmental protections that the administration developed and folded into all of its tribal compacts.

"Here you have somebody who has been a longtime advocate for local protections trying to undo them," said Roger Salazar. "That strikes us as kind of curious, if not hypocritical."


Full Articles:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070907/news_1n7sanman.html http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/news/breaking/2007/09/gambling_watchdog_joins_campai.html