POLO / POSY Not Satisfied With Investigation Results

POLO / POSY are wrongfully claiming that the “buck was passed” when they alleged that the Chumash violated their state gaming compact. They claim that the tribe used gaming profits to buy and operate off-reservation properties to expand their gaming business.

They didn’t want to hear that after a lengthy investigation the California Gambling Control Commission determined that there had been no violations of the compact. Now they are appealing to the Governor.

“It is becoming increasing clear that there is no will to enforce the compacts because the largely unregulated multibillion dollar Indian casino gambling industry is controlling our elected officials,” POLO spokeswoman Kathryn Bowen said.

“We have responded to the off-reservation property question on many occasions and so has the California Gambling Control Commission, but apparently the POLO/POSY members will continue to search through the corners of the earth until they get an answer that they want to hear. I assume they will be searching into eternity,” tribal attorney Sam Cohen said.

POLO / POSY also allege that two different compacts were signed by two different people, each representing themselves as the tribal chairperson on the same date.

“POLO/POSY members seem to forget that there were two state propositions regarding Indian gaming. The first, Proposition 5, was passed in November 1998 and the compacts in the state were signed by the tribal chairmen at that time,” Cohen said.“When Prop. 5 was overturned because it met the spirit of the law but not the letter of the law, Proposition 1A was placed on the ballot. It passed in March of 2000 and the state simply had the tribes re-execute the compacts. And those re-executed compacts were signed by the tribal chairmen who were in office at the time,” Cohen continued. “The date on the form was pre-programmed into the document. For the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, Alex Valencia was in office as tribal chairman at the time that the compact was signed after Proposition 5 was passed and Vincent Armenta was in office as the tribal chairman at the time that the state re-executed the compacts after Proposition 1A was passed.”

To me it is clear that these actions by POLO / POSY expose even more their true agenda, which is to antagonize and fight the Chumash on every level of their existence. Only they know why they are doing this. They are not doing it for me or for the majority of the people in the Santa Ynez Valley although they continue to arrogantly and improperly speak for “the community”

I can only imagine what kind of great things these groups could be achieving if they directed their energy and money toward positive efforts that would actually benefit the community.

Tribal sovereignty…not just the Chumash’s, but every tribe in the US… is the REAL issue. It is a legitimate issue where tribes operate gaming operations and it is evolving almost daily being defined by court decisions and by state and federal policy. This is the broad level where POLO / POSY should be focusing their efforts. If they truly want to represent who and what they claim to be about then I suggest POLO / POSY concentrate their money and energy in Washington, Sacramento and in the courts. This bitter, personal war with the Chumash is such a waste of time and energy and suggests to the rest of us in the valley that they have a prejudice against the tribe… that it IS about the people.