Temecula seeks assurance that land
won’t be developed
TEMECULA
(AP) — The
city wants assurances that the transfer of 1,178 acres of federal land to the
Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians won’t lead to development in areas of
Riverside and San Diego counties designed to be open space.
Congressman
Darrell Issa, R-Vista, sponsored the transfer bill
that has passed the House and is now before a Senate committee.
The
bill calls for preservation of culturally and historically significant land.
Temecula
has supported prior land transfers, but City Manager Shawn Nelson said in a May
14 letter to Issa that a previous transfer resulted
in open space being used for the Pechanga Resort & Casino’s golf course.
The
city is now asking for a “reversion clause” in the transfer bill that states
the land would be returned to the federal government if land-use conditions are
violated.
The
casino-rich tribe has at least 5,500 acres of reservation land. The additional
1,178 acres would be placed in a trust for the tribe.
Tribal
spokesman Jacob Mejia said he was puzzled by what he called the city’s
“flip-flop.”
Issa
chief of staff Dale Neugebauer said the bill has been
around four years, and he was also surprised the city is now expressing
concerns.