- Originally published in the California Journal September 1, 2004
Copyright 2004 State Net(R), All Rights Reserved
By: Anthony York;
Anthony York is editor of Political Pulse, a biweekly newsletter.
No
single group has had a more dramatic change in political fortunes over
the last decade than California Indian tribes. Thanks to tribal casinos
(a $4 billion per year business) and millions in annual political
donations, a handful of gaming tribes have gone from complete political
obscurity to become California's largest political donors.
Nevertheless,
last year's recall election hinted at the first signs of a possible
backlash to the meteoric growth in tribal gaming and political power.
Though gaming tribes have proven savvy political participants, giving
money to politicians from both parties, many of the state's wealthiest
tribes placed their bets on Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante's bid for
governor. About $9 million - 20 percent of all money spent in the
recall - came from Indian tribes, most of it going to Bustamante.
Arnold
Schwarzenegger responded in kind, using tribes as a foil in the recall
campaign. Schwarzenegger attacked tribes who continued to flood the
political process with money, but who would not renegotiate compact
agreements on appropriations to state coffers, or mitigation to local
governments for the environmental impacts of casino developments.
But
as a sign of the tribes' political power, Schwarzenegger immediately
sought to make peace with tribal leaders. Among his first moves as
governor was appointing former appeals court judge Daniel Kolkey to
negotiate new deals with tribal governments. In June, the governor
announced deals with five tribes that allow for unlimited slot machines
on tribal lands while providing more money for state coffers and input
from local governments on casino expansion. The deal also signifies the
expansion of gaming into California's major metropolitan areas.
The
Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, with help from Sen. Jim Battin
(R-La Quinta), has resisted the new compacts, hoping instead to pass a
November ballot measure, Prop. 70, that would tax gaming revenues the
same as corporations.
Tribes first began
to flex their political muscle in 1998, in reaction to a compact signed
by Gov. Pete Wilson and San Diego's Pala Band of Mission Indians. That
deal placed limits on the types of machines that could be used on
tribal lands, but was rejected by many tribal leaders as an
infringement on their sovereignty. The reaction to the Pala compact was
1998's Prop. 5, the $90 million statewide ballot measure that
solidified the mobilization of California's tribes and pushed them into
the arena of electoral politics.
Prop. 5
passed overwhelmingly with 63 percent of the vote. It lifted limits on
the number of casinos allowed in California and allowed tribes to use
Las Vegas-style slot machines on tribal lands. Though Prop. 5 was later
thrown out by the California Supreme Court, it symbolized the political
arrival of California's Indian tribes, and firmly placed them on the
list of movers and shakers.
The Prop. 5
campaign introduced Californians to Mark Macarro, the telegenic leader
of the Pechanga Band of Mission Indians, one of the state's largest
gaming tribes. Macarro continues to be among the most visible tribal
spokesmen and one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes tribal leaders.
Gov.
Gray Davis negotiated deals with more than 50 tribes, essentially
codifying much of what was in Prop. 5. The Davis compacts provided some
concessions to labor unions and set aside some money for local
governments and non-gaming tribes. In 2000, tribes once again went to
the polls to ratify the compacts, passing Prop. 1A with nearly
two-thirds of the vote.
November 2004 will
prove to be another touchstone for California's tribal governments.
Democrat Mary Ann Andreas in AD 80 could become the first tribal member
elected to the state Legislature. Andreas, a member of the Morongo Band
of Mission Indians, is running against incumbent Assm. Bonnie Garcia
(R-Cathedral City).
With two new ballot
measures before voters - Prop. 68, which would allow racetracks and
card clubs to have slot machines, and Prop. 70, which would remove
limits on tribal slots - this year's election will be another test of
the voters' feelings toward tribal gaming. As the state wrestled with
its massive deficits, tribal gaming continued to grow, and many gaming
tribes gave little or no money to the state. Schwarzenegger was easily
able to exploit the appearance of tribal greed and used it to ride it
to electoral victory.