Thanks Mary Jo...:)
http://www.fresnobee.com/localnews/story/0,1724,108155,00.html
Tule R. Indians reject
compact
The tribe near Porterville wants to negotiate directly with Gov. Davis.
By Matthew Kreamer The Fresno Bee
(Published October 12, 1999)
The Tule River Indian Tribe near Porterville is refusing to sign the tribal-state compact that has been accepted by a vast majority of other tribes statewide.
The tribal council announced the decision Monday, citing several sticking points.
"We're not looking to throw it out and reinvent the wheel, because there are a lot of negotiable points," said tribal administrator Dave Nenna. "We're seeking a meeting with the governor so we can sit down face to face."
Nenna and the tribal council argue that the compact ventures outside the scope of gaming and enters into tribal self-governance matters.
"It's hard to be self-governing when the state wants the tribal council as figureheads only," Nenna said.
Michael Bustamante, a spokesman for the Governor's Office, said a meeting between the Tule representatives and the governor would be unlikely.
"I wouldn't preclude anything," Bustamante said, "but the compact represents the best effort of the governor and virtually every gaming tribe in California. It's on the table and available for them to sign."
If the governor refuses to meet with the tribal government, the tribe will seek a federal court-appointed mediator to help resolve the issue, Nenna said.
Part of the problem, as Nenna sees it, is that the compact requires tribes to give a percentage of revenues to the state, which then uses the money for grants and other projects. The tribe would rather use that money in and around its own community.
"We've been in operation three years and haven't even had an opportunity to help our own people," Nenna said.
Bustamante said other tribes had similar concerns, but the compact was eventually deemed satisfactory to them.
In August, the state Supreme Court tossed out most of the voter-approved tribal gaming initiative, known as Proposition 5, calling it unconstitutional because it violates the state constitutional ban on Nevada-style slot machines and banked games, such as blackjack.
Casino-owning tribes, though, have begun to circulate another ballot measure for the March 7, 2000, election that would amend the state Constitution to authorize expanded reservation gambling and legalize the disputed machines and card games.
The Tule River tribal council supports that measure.
Reprinted under the Fair Use
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
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Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit)
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