San Diego County, Tribes Meet on Casinos

In the first meeting of its kind, all 17 San Diego-area Indian tribes sat down Wednesday with the county Board of Supervisors to discuss the environmental and economic effects of a major expansion in tribal gambling.

The proposed addition of nine casinos in a county of about 4,200 square miles has many officials and residents concerned that serious environmental and infrastructure problems will not be handled in a way that is fair to both the tribes and nontribal residents.

The county is already home to three Indian casinos--the Sycuan, Barona and Viejas--all of which are located to the east.

Of the nine proposed casinos, five would be on the north side of the county and four on the east side.

All of the county’s Indian lands are in unincorporated areas and few have the roads, water service and sewers necessary to accommodate major commercial buildings.

Also of concern for local officials is establishment of adequate fire and law enforcement services.

“It’s extremely important to begin this dialogue with the tribes now,” said Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob. “Discussions on improving their infrastructure before putting these developments in unincorporated areas could prevent environmental and infrastructure problems of large proportion.”

Leaders of tribes say the new gambling centers will not harm the environment. They added that the facilities will not only help provide for the needs of their tribes, but also bring a huge amount of money and new jobs to San Diego County.

“Tribal governments have the opportunity to be self-sufficient through commercial activity, mainly gaming,” said Rincon San Luiseno Band Chairman John Currier. “I hope the county will emphasize the positive regional economic benefits of what is happening within reservation communities.”

Proposition 1A, passed by California voters in March, allows a federally recognized tribe to operate slot machines, lottery games and card games on its lands, provided that the governor has approved a gambling compact with the group.

County officials, quick to emphasize the need for greater communication between tribal leaders and all levels of government, said there is much to be done before sufficient trust can be established among all parties.

“There [was] a lot of fear and distrust in the past between the groups involved, but we want to improve that level of trust and build closer relationships,” Jacob said.

“I’m hopeful that the past can be the past and we can start anew and establish good relationships with all of the tribes,” she said.

Jacob is proposing that one person be appointed to serve as a tribal liaison for the Board of Supervisors and that a committee of two supervisors and a few of the tribal leaders meet in the next month to continue a collaborative effort between the two groups.