California tribes divided in compact fight

Tuesday, January 29, 2008  

Tribes in California are no longer united on gaming issues, Manuel Hamilton, the vice chairman of the Ramona Band of Cahuilla Indians says.

Hamilton isn't taking sides in the fight over four controversial Class III compacts. But he doesn't have kind words for the tribes who signed the agreements or the tribes who are fighting them.

"It's just a shame that the two factions are creating a problem for all tribes in California. Both sides are self-serving, and they're putting everybody else in the middle of everything," Hamilton told The Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Michael Lombardi, a gaming commissioner for the Augustine Band of Mission Indians, says the tribe has concerns about the compacts but is staying quiet out of respect for the other tribes. He isn't happy, though, that the Pala Band of Mission Indians opposes the deals yet signed a similar one for unlimited slot machines.

Propositions 94, 95, 96 and 97 are on the February 5 ballot. Voters will determine whether the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation can add more slot machines to their casinos.

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Casino battle divides tribes (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 1/29)
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