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California Agencies: Compacts Need Teeth

BURNEY, California – As reported by the Sacramento Bee: "When members of the Pit River Indian Tribe built their modest wooden casino seven years ago, they didn't include a fire sprinkler system.

"The casino still doesn't have one. What it does have is a piece of paper taped to a slot machine near the front door that points out where the emergency exits are, and an employee designated to look around for fires every 30 minutes.

"'There's nothing we can do about it,' said Bob May, chief of the Fire Protection District in Burney, a small town about 50 miles east of Redding in Shasta County.

"…As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger negotiates new casino compacts with tribes, local officials around the state are hoping the new agreements will come with the legal tools - and political will - to make them enforceable.

"'We haven't had too much luck getting any level of government to enforce the current compacts,' said DeAnn Baker, legislative representative for the California State Association of Counties, 'and in almost all cases at the county level, we're powerless.'

"The provisions of the existing compacts that deal with enforceability try to strike a balance between protecting the interests of the state and preserving the sovereign rights of tribes.

"… 'I think it's proven itself to be a successful working model,' said Deron Marquez, chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, which operates a casino near San Bernardino. 'Some people are quick to say it doesn't work ... but in the end I think any problems in the process work themselves out.'

"But local officials, who in most cases aren't direct parties to the resolution process, say they find themselves almost powerless.

"…Some tribal casinos, particularly smaller ones, have never been inspected by outside public agencies to see if they are complying with the requirements…"

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