Governor Isn’t Playing Fair on Indian Casinos

Re “Schwarzenegger Is a Sure Bet as He Steps Up Fight to Beat Gambling Measures,” Capitol Journal, Oct. 7: George Skelton states that the governor is “incensed” at my tribe for not “dealing with him.” Our tribe and others have attempted several times to negotiate with the governor, which only proved fruitless. We proposed a gaming agreement resulting in an additional $1 billion to the state that was rejected by the governor’s negotiators. We requested meetings with the governor directly and were told he was not available. It is the governor who has refused to take a meeting and negotiate, not the tribes..

The reason why the governor turned down this $1-billion deal -- as his negotiator told us -- is because it wasn’t enough money to eliminate the debt. Thus the governor is attempting to extract 25% of our gaming revenue. I consider that greedy. This raises the question: Has the state ever paid tribes their “fair share”? And has the state ever “revenue-shared” with tribes? The answers are no, and to expect tribes to do so is greedy. It is also greedy to expect tribal governments to pay 25% of their revenue, when the state’s corporations only pay 8.84%. Moreover, it is unlawful.

We have the right to run our governments and operate well-regulated gaming facilities; we have the right to support the needs of our citizens; and we have the right to protect our progress and not have it chipped away by those who cannot manage state budgets or comprehend federal law.

Chairman Deron Marquez

San Manuel Band of Mission

Indians, Highland, Calif.