California tribes pay for land-into-trust services

Thursday, March 6, 2008  

The Capitol Weekly writes a second story about the California Fee to Trust Consortium.

According to a December 13, 2007, story, at least 60 consortium tribes have paid about $5.5 million to the Bureau of Indian Affairs since 2000. The goal is to improve handling of land-into-trust applications.

The paper says 15 tribes have paid 80 percent of the cost. These tribes represented 51 percent of the land that was taken into trust.

"The top five contributing tribes alone - the Santa Rosa Rancheria, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and Morongo Band of Mission Indians - have paid more than half the cost of the program and received one-fifth of the land," the paper says.

The paper characterizes the consortium as "a little-known body" though tribes have mentioned it in their Congressional testimony. The group is being called into question by non-Indian critics of the Santa Ynez Tribe.

Get the Story:
California gaming tribes paid in big to land consortium (The Capitol Weekly 3/6)

OIG report looks into land-into-trust consortium (12/13)