Have you ever been in a situation where good
friends of yours get into a fight? The wise thing to do is to try and stay out
of the fracas, but it is tough to refrain from getting involved when things get
out of hand. This is how I feel about the conflicts in the valley between the
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and the valley
residents who are upset with the tribe, ostensibly because of their business
ventures in the community.
I think the POLO, POSY and Concerned Citizens
have a legitimate concern in that the presence of the casino has changed the
valley. The casino complex is large and, unlike most every other business in
the valley, it operates 24 hours a day. The sleepy little town of Santa Ynez has been changed forever, no doubt about it; and I
don’t begrudge anybody saying they don’t like it.
I can also sympathize with the folks who are
afraid the tribe could, theoretically at least, expand their reservation via
fee to trust annexations. The community
is a rural community, and the tribe’s sovereign status could trump local land
use controls that are in place to preserve the rural nature of the community.
So, again, I don’t begrudge anybody saying they feel threatened by the fee to
trust process.
Whereas I can sympathize when the interests
of the tribe have the ability to affect the quality of life of their neighbors,
I have to say that I am a little bit shocked about how upset people are about
naming the 154 the Chumash Highway. This sort of thing is done on an annual
basis throughout the State of California. Here on the Central Coast, we have
the Maldonado Youth Center, the Jack O’Connell highway, and the Naomi Schwartz
government building. It is pretty tough
to come up with a rationalization for naming projects after politicians. But
some naming honors have an historical context, like the Cabrillo highway. This
is how I view the name change of the 154. What is wrong with the State naming a
route for the Chumash, as they created and used the route for thousands of years?
Isn’t there any recognition that the Chumash
have been living in this valley for the past several thousand years? Does
anyone in the community recognize the fact that, when they complain about what
is happening to “their valley,” the Chumash have just as much of a right to
call the valley their own? The fact that our government gave the Chumash a
reservation to live on in the heart of the valley is something I can live with,
and it is something I don’t see changing. As a result, I personally have a tendency
to consider what they do on the reservation as their business and none of my
own.
My concern with POLO and POSY is that they
seem to react as if everything the Chumash are involved in is a matter of life
and death for the valley. It is not. For one thing, naming the highway after
the Chumash is not going to have a negative effect on anybody’s way of life. It
is just a name. It doesn’t affect anything, except to remind folks of the
history these people have in the valley.
POLO and POSY would be happy to make their
cause the determining factor in the next election for 3rd District
Supervisor. But that would be a huge mistake.
The fact of the matter is that the tribe is federally recognized and has
been for some 100 years. Issues pertaining to sovereignty need to be taken up
with the Feds. And as a result of a ballot proposition approved by the voters,
the State of California has a gaming compact with the tribe. Issues
pertaining to the compact need to be taken up with Sacramento. What am I
saying? POLO and POSY et.al.,
take your battle to Sacramento and to Washington D.C.; the powers that be in
these capitals alone have the power and authority to respond to your
complaints.
Leave the community, the County Board of
Supervisors, and, specifically, the Third District Supervisor, out of the
battle. Make your cause a focal point of the races for state and federal
government as they alone can help you. Come to terms with the fact that,
whereas your concern is local, the solution to your dilemma is not. It would be
better for everyone if you would simply agree to disagree with your Chumash
neighbors and leave it like that on a local level. I am concerned that
legitimate local issues of substance, issues that supervisors can truly do
something about, issues that should be the focus of our community, are going to
get lost in this melee.
Andy Caldwell is the executive director of COLAB and a
39–year resident of the Central Coast. Contact information can be found at the
COLAB Web site at www.colabsbc.org.