"A brow furrowed over The Eye this month during a fawning U.S. Senate confirmation hearing for Larry EchoHawk, who was voted in as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of Interior.

The Obama choice will oversee tribal bids for new casino land, including pending applications by two Pomo tribes for Vegas-style casinos in the East Bay — at Point Molate in Richmond and a few miles away along Richmond Parkway.

EchoHawk, a Pawnee who also is Mormon — the church opposes gambling — battled tribal gaming as Idaho attorney general in the early '90s. But he also was a tribal lawyer. Curious, The Eye hoped he'd share his views on the thorny debate over so-called "reservation-shopping."

"I do not feel like I know presently all of the details about how Indian gaming operates," EchoHawk told the Indian Affairs Committee. "I understand I will have some responsibilities in that area, but I look forward to working with you ... to get up to speed "....""

Get the Story:
The Eye on the East Bay (Bay Area News Group 5/23)