“Our outrage is about how the pattern of a
broken representative process favors big gambling interests,” said Kathryn
Bowen, Preservation of Los Olivos spokeswoman. “I personally see no problem
with it,” said Jim Fiolek, Executive Director of the
Santa Barbara County Vintners Association. “There is a long heritage of the
Chumash people and a lot that can be learned from how they took care of this
land for thousands of
years.”
Santa
Ynez Chumash Tribal Chairman Vincent Armenta announced last week at the tribe’s membership
meeting that the California State Assembly adopted the resolution with a 76-0
vote on September 4. The resolution sailed through the State Senate six days
later with a unanimous vote of 38-0, a mere 20 days after it was initially
introduced by an out of town legislator.
Armenta said the naming project illustrates
the respect that California’s Assembly and Senate have for Native Americans.
“They understand the historical significance of the area,” he said. “This is a
proud and historic moment for us as a tribal nation,” said Armenta.
Assemblyman
Joe Coto (D-Santa Jose) introduced the new highway
designation bill on August 23 for an area that is in Assemblyman Pedro Nava’s
own backyard. Nava represents the 35th district that includes Santa Ynez and Los Olivos. Nava and Coto both
did not respond to questions about who Armenta
approached with the idea, or whether or not Nava was completely left out of the
decision making process. “This is about
how an out of area assemblyman can get a bill passed that has long reaching
ramifications for a community that he has nothing to do with,” Bowen said. “We
are saddened that our tribal opponents have turned such joyous news into a
controversy. The Chumash Highway is a cultural, historical and educational
issue, not a gaming issue,” Armenta said in a
statement.
In Coto’s written proposal, he reasons that the renaming of
Highway 154 as “Chumash Highway” follows an ancient and elaborate Chumash trail
network that until now was unrecognized as the forerunners of today’s highway
system. Archaeological sites along Highway 154 also served to support the
historical significance of the area, and in Coto’s
opinion made it worthy of the name change.
“These
trails were vital to sustaining the cultural longevity for over 8,000 years as
they formed the foundation for economy and socials exchange among the tribe,” Armenta said.
Some
15,000 bills go through California’s legislature each year, and each legislator
manages up to 20. There are no existing laws to prevent any assembly member
from proposing legislation outside their jurisdiction. Emily Kryder, Press Secretary for Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa
Barbara, weighed in on the protocol issue from a congressional standpoint.
Capps represents a large portion from Ventura to Santa Barbara and San Luis
Obispo Counties stretching to parts of Oxnard and Monterrey.
“In
Congress, members try to respect each other as the expert on local issues
pertaining to their respective district,” Kryder
said.
“However,
there are exceptions to this protocol, such as when Representative Duncan
Hunter, R-San Diego, tried to kick the public off of Santa Rosa island, in Rep.
Capps’ district, so he could turn it into a private hunting reserve,” she said.
Pedro
Nava was unavailable for an interview, but did release a statement.
“The Chumash Highway resolution request was
based on a peer-reviewed study and based on the study findings. I joined every
other member of the California State Assembly and voted for the highway naming
resignation,” the statement says.
“While I respect that certain factions of the
community support or oppose the renaming of this historic pathway, my votes
indicates that I supported the renaming as did every other California
Legislator, whether Republican or Democrat,” it continues.
State
Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, presented the bill in the Senate. Phone
calls to his offices went unanswered.
All
maps will still designate the winding stretch leading commuters over the San
Marcos Pass as Highway 154, but the new designation permits commemorative signs
posted along the interstate to read “Chumash Highway.” Tribe members have met with state
representatives to begin the process of sign production. The Chumash likely
will cover the expenses.
“Our
elected officials are promoting the use of a state highway as a marketing tool
for a two-hundred-and-fifty-million-dollar-a-year tax-exempt gambling
enterprise, and it appears that tribal chairman Vincent Armenta
brokered this deal and no one new about it,” said Jon Bowen, President of
Preservation of Santa Ynez.
“The
bill is a public record, and like all other bills that go through the
California Legislature, it can be tracked on the California Legislature Web
site,” Armenta said.
“The point is not how it was changed, but should it be changed,” said Fiolek of the Vitners Association.