Opinion

Opinion: Enough is enough with Chumash Tribe's land grab

Thursday, April 14, 2011

"At what point does the Chumash tribal government say, “We have achieved financial independence?”

According to Tribal Chairman Armenta, it’s when the tribe says so. That isn’t the law, but then the tribe doesn’t play by the same rules as the rest of us.

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash has approached Rep. Elton Gallegly to initiate a federal legislative process on their behalf. They wish to unilaterally remove from the jurisdiction of Santa Barbara County, and the county tax rolls, the 1,400-acre “Camp 4” property at Highways 154 and 246.

This legislation would bypass local citizen concerns and land use processes, as well as the regulations of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

To put this power grab into perspective, those 1,400 acres are only 100 acres less than the size of Solvang, and 40 percent larger than Buellton.

If the tribe does transfer that property to their reservation, it could build a city with a population of 16,000 (the population of Carpinteria, which is only 100 acres more) if they wanted to, and never pay a cent of property taxes."

Get the Story:
Mark Oliver: Enough is enough is enough (The Solvang Valley News 4/14)