Posted on 05/11/2006 8:05:07 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Gov. Schwarzenegger met for the first time ever with Inland tribal leaders Wednesday, signifying a marked change in his approach to tribes he once accused of "ripping off" taxpayers and not paying their "fair share" into the state's general fund.
Tribal leaders emerged from the nearly 80-minute private talk with cautious praise for the governor but with no promises of new agreements on gaming or other issues. Schwarzenegger told the tribes he wants to talk to them individually about renegotiating the pacts that allow them to operate casinos, which the tribes said they are willing to consider.
Mark Macarro, chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, said the governor's October 2004 comment about the tribes "ripping us off" came up, although Schwarzenegger didn't actually apologize for that and other critical remarks he made during his gubernatorial campaign, budget talks and a 2004 ballot-measure battle.
"It would have been nice to hear something like that," he said. "It was basically an acknowledgement that, in the heat of battle, people said stuff that people say in the heat of battle."
A governor's spokesman called the meeting positive.
"It moved the discussion forward and led to a better mutual understanding of each other's positions and issues. The atmosphere was one of mutual respect, and the governor committed to continue working with them," spokesman Darrel Ng said.
The governor previously argued that California gaming tribes were not giving the state enough of their casino profits and needed to do more to help with its money troubles. His change in tone follows voters' resounding rejection of Schwarzenegger-backed propositions in the special election he called last year, and it comes as he gears up for his November re-election bid.
Tense Relations
Inland tribes' relationships with Schwarzenegger have been tense since he launched his first campaign in the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis and made extracting money from gaming tribes a plank in his platform.
Several Southern California tribes, which typically are some of the state's most-generous campaign contributors, poured money into Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante's failed bid for governor that year. Many have publicly criticized Schwarzenegger's actions as governor, including his decision to hire numerous members of former Gov. Pete Wilson's administration and his initial plan to get $500 million from tribes during his first fiscal year in office.
In fall 2004, the governor and Inland tribes clashed over Prop. 70, which voters defeated. The proposal, bankrolled by a trio of Inland tribes with casinos, would have lifted limits on slot machines in return for tribes paying the state the equivalent of the corporate income tax, 8.84 percent.
The tribes and the governor, meanwhile, have been unable to agree on how to renegotiate the state gaming agreements, known as compacts.
In 2004, several Inland tribes collectively offered to pay the state $1 billion and 10 percent of their slot-machine revenue in exchange for licenses that would allow them to operate more slot machines.
The deal was rejected by Schwarzenegger's negotiators, who wanted concessions on nonmonetary issues, such as giving local governments more say over tribal casinos and making it easier for unions to organize casino workers. Other tribes, including some in San Diego County, agreed to the concessions, but tribes in Riverside and San Bernardino counties did not.
There was no indication Wednesday that Schwarzenegger will change his position on those nonmonetary issues.
"It was a long overdue meeting," Macarro said. "It sends some encouraging signals. We'll wait and see. If the governor is interested in pursuing negotiations beyond this, we'll evaluate it."
Points With Voters
One political analyst said Schwarzenegger could earn points with voters if he's able to reach new deals with tribes that will pump more money into the state's coffers.
"My sense is, as long as they offer him some good money to help balance the budget and relieve the deficit, even in the face of increased tax revenues, he will listen. He really needs to get done what he promised to get done, which is to lower the deficit," said analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe. "He's responding smartly by reaching out."
Tribes may be inclined to sit out this year's governor's race if they see things they like from Schwarzenegger, said Michael Lombardi, gaming commissioner for the Augustine Band of Mission Indians, near Coachella, and a longtime figure in the Southern California Indian gaming market. He was not at the meeting with the governor.
A decision not to get involved could help the governor's re-election bid by reducing the amount of campaign money available to his Democratic opponent, Bebitch Jeffe said.
Tribal leaders took advantage of Wednesday's meeting to vent their concerns, tout tribes' community involvement and to invite the governor to visit their reservations, said Henry Duro, chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.
"What really came across was the uniqueness of all tribes and that it just isn't one fit for all," Duro said.
Tribal leaders who attended the meeting said they did not talk in specific about their gaming compacts, but political insiders consider the meet-and-greet event the first step toward restarting negotiations.
"It's essential; it would not happen without this meeting," Lombardi said. "They probably are going to find a way to work together. At the very least, they're talking to each other, not yelling at each other."
Maurice Lyons, chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, described the meeting as productive.
"We are ready to move forward," said Lyons, whose tribe would like more slot machines for its new resort casino near Cabazon. "The next step is the governor's, and we will wait for his office to contact us."
"It's a new day," Lynn Valbuena, chairwoman of the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations, said upon leaving the meeting. "I know that a lot of tribal leaders walked out of the room thinking it was good we were here today, but we'll have to wait and see."
Tribes are the only ones that will pay this governor. Everyone else has given up on him.
Same ole song and dance.
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