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Casino tribe expels members

CALIFORNIA – As reported by the North County Times: "About 80 members of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, which owns Valley View Casino, will be expelled from the Valley Center tribe if an internal effort to "disenroll" them is successful.

"It is the latest in a long-standing, bitter feud among factions of the 300-member tribe that calls into question what it means to be American Indian and who gets to benefit from the spoils of casino wealth.

"A week ago, members of the tribe held separate meetings on the disenrollment matter.

"The group that met at San Pasqual voted to accept a consultant's report that concluded the 80 people whose tribal affiliations are in question do not belong and should not be listed as members of San Pasqual.

"…Ron Mast, a member of the San Pasqual tribe, filed a challenge in August saying the group does not belong in the tribe. He says the group is made up of descendants of Marcus R. Alto Sr., whom he contends was adopted by his aunt and uncle, Maria Duro Alto and Jose Alto, as a child, but was not their biological son.

"…San Pasqual's constitution requires that people have at least one-eighth blood of the band to belong.

"Mast says that because Marcus R. Alto Sr. was adopted, he does not meet the requirement and neither do his descendants…"

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