The leader of California's largest inter-tribal organization vowed on Wednesday to mend the rift that has emerged among the state's tribes.

Anthony Miranda, chairman of the California Nation's Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA), delivered his second State of the Tribal Nations address at a conference in Palm Springs. Before a large audience of industry leaders, he urged tribes to stick together as they confront common challenges at the state and federal level.

"We must unite behind those bonds that make us sovereign," he said.

But Miranda acknowledged that tribes weren't united in 2004, a particularly rocky year in tribal-state relations. A handful of tribes negotiated controversial gaming compacts with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), a move that contributed to the defeat of a ballot initiative endorsed by CNIGA.

The costly $100-million-plus campaign failed because "it was missing a key element -- tribal unity," he said. Two prior gaming initiatives were successful because they had wide tribal backing, he recalled.

CNIGA boasts a membership of 62 tribes, some with casinos and some without. That represents more than half of the number of federally-recognized tribes in the state.

But in recent years, the organization has lost the support of some tribal leaders who were disappointed with its direction. Miranda vowed to win them over as they enter the new year.

"Join us and we welcome you back with open arms," he told the 10th annual Western Indian Gaming Conference.

But the task is easier said than done. At a press conference later in the day, Miranda elaborated on the divisions that have developed and said it boiled down to how tribes view themselves.

"The main issue is being a government," he said. "That is the core issue of sovereignty." He said some tribes are acting more like businesses than governments and are approaching state-tribal relations from that standpoint.

Michael Lombardi, a gaming regulator for the Augustine Band of Mission Indians, agreed with the assessment. At a panel discussion, he took offense at the compacts negotiated by Schwarzenegger and said they force tribes to give up too much of their inherent rights.

"Trading slot machines for sovereignty is a bad deal for generations unborn," he said of the new agreements.

Compacts aren't the only issue where the tribe are divided. While CNIGA has not adopted a position on off-reservation gaming, Miranda said the issue will be discussed at the group's members-only meeting on Friday, and he voiced concerns that tribes are trying to open casinos far away from their existing land bases.

The topic is not on the agenda for the main conference but it came up during the panel discussions anyway. Members of tribes that have opened casinos on their reservations are clearly concerned about a potential backlash against "reservation shopping."

That is already occurring in northern California where at least four tribes are seeking casinos in the Bay Area. In one high-profile case, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) introduced a bill this week to delay an off-reservation casino in the city of San Pablo.

"I think that is fairly well recognized among people in our industry that urban casinos are a bad idea," Lombardi said at the press conference.

CNIGA resumes today with discussions on the successes and failures of last year's legislative session, casino fraud and the workforce. National Indian Gaming Commission Chairman Phil Hogen will lead a special question and answer session in which he is expected to draw heat over the agency's attempt to develop standards and rules for Class II machines.

Relevant Links:
California Nations Indian Gaming Association - http://www.cniga.com
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger - http://www.governor.ca.gov/state/govsite/gov_homepage.jsp