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California Band in Middle of Casino War

Yet this patch of land with its gnarled oaks and golden grass has been the focus of ferocious machinations on two coasts — a fight cementing California's status as the hottest front in the nation's Indian casino wars.

Two years ago, the Buena Vista Miwoks, a band of six adults and six children, announced plans for a gaming hall on their 67-acre rancheria. Competition appeared in the form of a young mother, who claimed the rightful authority to negotiate on the tribe's behalf.

Casino developers and rival tribes jumped into the fray, and along with them came several top Washington operatives, including Scott W. Reed, who managed the 1996 presidential campaign of Bob Dole, and Roger Stone, who strategized for George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential recount in Florida. Bush administration officials also got involved, signaling their interest in the case to a high-level Interior Department executive, who was fired in the midst of an FBI inquiry into his role.

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