"The Hoopa tribe has sought voting membership on the HCAOG (Humboldt

County Association of Governments) for years -- but not as an equal. They refuse to waive any of their unfettered ability to play their �sovereign nation card� anytime they choose.

The tribe (a member of HCAOG's technical advisory committee) maintains that they are a government, and governments don't have to be identical to be a voting member of the joint-powers authority. With the special interest legislation they obtained designating them as a public agency, they may be legally correct. But it would be like letting the fox nest with the chickens.

Any attempt to equate our city and county governments with tribal sovereign nation status is ludicrous. Counties and cities embrace all of their residences, and are restricted by the Brown Act. A tribe represents a very narrowly defined ethnic group that decides its own membership, and is allowed to play by very different rules."

Get the Story:
Leo Sears: 'Sovereign nations' waving wads of money (The Eureka Times-Standard 10/13)

Relevant Links:
Hoopa Valley Tribe - http://www.hoopa-nsn.gov

Related Stories:
Editorial: Veto tribal representation bill (08/22)
Hoopa Valley Tribe again denied seat on board (04/05)
County supports Hoopa Valley Tribe's seat on board (01/18)
Hoopa Valley Tribe denied seat on county board (12/15)