The Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians has been in the headlines a lot lately and not all tribal members are happy with it.

The tribe filed a high-profile lawsuit to block Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's new gaming compacts but some members viewed the case as an affront to the sovereignty of the tribes that signed the agreements. It made the Rincons "a laughingstock among other tribes," a tribal critic said.

The tribe is also in the news for a lawsuit it filed to stop the county from imposing taxes on its hotel. The tribe is being sued separately for allegedly failing to prevent last year's fatal fire.

Tribal members who oppose the tribal administration have formed the Independent Group of Traditional Luiseo Elders. Two of the group's leaders tried to have chairman John Currier and his extended family disenrolled but the case was dismissed.

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Rincon beset by suits, infighting (The San Diego Union Tribune 7/8)