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California Governor Makes Offer to Tribes

SACRAMENTO, California – As reported by the San-Diego Union Tribune: "In his fight for political survival, Gov. Gray Davis made a recent offer to Indian tribes that could pay them huge dividends for years to come.

"The Democratic governor invited gambling tribes to submit a list of recommendations from which he would – qualifications permitting – fill two vacancies on the state's gambling commission, several sources who were in attendance said.

"Unspoken, but understood by at least some, was the likelihood that the two appointments could give tribes a controlling majority on a commission that some tribes have been at war with for months.

"A commission majority aligned with tribes could settle a lingering, multimillion-dollar dispute over how much Indian casinos must pay the state every year. It also could reopen a debate over how many slot machines tribes may have. And, some warned, there are broader, long-term implications.

"…Some of California's most successful gambling bands, including many of those recently courted by Davis, don't believe the state or its Gambling Control Commission have the authority to regulate Indian casinos. Those bands argue that tribes are sovereign governments that employ their own gaming commissions and are subject to federal oversight from the National Indian Gaming Commission.

"Jacob Coin, executive director of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, said Indian leaders want the commission restructured, although they were not pushing necessarily for tribal representation.

"…Davis made his pitch to the Indian gaming association three weeks ago.

"…Davis reminded the tribes that he negotiated and signed the historic agreements, or compacts, that legalized Indian casinos and ended a more than 10-year fight over their fate in California…"

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