Sep
23
2010
Thanks in large part to Indian gaming, tribes are enjoying political influence in California's gubernatorial race. Like everyone else with an interest at stake, tribes are paying attention and playing in the political arena. No surprise there.California
Proposed San Francisco Casino Tests Federal, State Law
Jul
29
2010
Today's student guest blog post is written by third-year law student Christopher Westby. Here's his take on a proposal for gaming on newly acquired lands by a recently recognized tribe:Proposed San Francisco Casino Tests Federal, State Law
The 112 member Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians has no reservation;
during the era of termination policy the federal government revoked
recognition of the tribe and transferred its lands to private owners.
The tribe regained federal recognition in 1991. Many of its members
currently still live near the former reservation in Ukiah, California.
The tribe proposes building a casino seventy-miles away from Ukiah in
Richmond, which sits on the San Francisco Bay. The Bureau of Indian
Kathryn Was Just Saying . . . .
Apr
22
2010
In her last blog post, Kathryn mentioned that it may be problematic that the latest compact between Florida and the Seminoles assigns revenue sharing payments to the state to the state's general treasury. Well, the temperature just got turned up on that potential problem. The U.S. Litigation Grab Bag
Mar
23
2010
This week's headlines have turned up a grab bag of litigation related to Indian gaming. Here's a sample, ranging from intratribal disputes over gaming revenue to local residents challenging the status of tribal lands to cheating in tribal casinos:Violence and Gaming in Riverside County
Sep
10
2008
The New York Times reported on violence on the Soboba Band's reservation in southern California, fueled, according to the tribe, by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Since December 2007, five tribal members have been killed in shoot-outs with the Sheriff's Department. The Sheriff's Department claims that crime has risen dramatically on the reservation since 2006, when the tribe cancelled its contract with the Sheriff's Department to provide law enforcement.Per Capita Payments and Tribal Membership
Jul
3
2008
The San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians withheld per capita gaming payments from about 50 members and also fired several members from casino and other leadership positions. The issue centers on the validity of their status as tribal members. The Band requires "blood quantum" for tribal membership. Each member must, at the least, have a great-grandparent who was a "full-blooded" member of the tribe. Wow – California Negotiated in Bad Faith?
May
20
2008
As we discussed in our last post, a federal district court has held that California's revenue sharing demands in its negotiations with the Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians amounted to an illegal tax, and therefore were evidence of the state's bad faith. What was the Band hoping to do – and what are the implications of this holding?