| Economic Growth and Native American Self Reliance A Historical Perspective By Daniel Tucker, Chairman Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation Today it is all too easy to forget the difficult past of Native Americans here in San Diego and throughout our nation. The quite recent economic success enjoyed by Sycuan and other Indian nations in the region as a result of the popularity of Indian gaming cannot be fully understood unless viewed within the historic context of our struggle for survival and economic self reliance.
In 1769, when Spanish soldiers and missionaries, led by Father Junipero Serra, founded the Mission and the Presidio of San Diego, the destruction of the traditional Kumeyaay way of life had irreversibly begun. From 1769 through the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, the Kumeyaay population decreased from nearly 30,000 to approximately 3,000. In 1875, after more than 100 years of unspeakable treatment of Native Americans, President Ulysses S. Grant signed an Executive Order that set aside specific lands in San Diego County for the exclusive use of the Kumeyaay. The original 640-acre, one-square mile Sycuan Reservation in Dehesa Valley was included in this order. Today, the Sycuan Band again stands proud with its land. While honoring our ancestors' past, the Sycuan people now look forward to the future with pride in the economic self-reliance we worked so long and hard to achieve. As a sovereign Indian nation, we use our business ventures to provide for the economic self-reliance of our tribal members now and into the future. We are also committed to being a good corporate citizen in the San Diego region and are proud to offer an excellent workplace for more than 4,000 San Diegans. The success of the Sycuan Resort and Casino and other business ventures has enabled us to purchase additional ancestral Kumeyaay lands in our Dehesa Valley home. Sycuan has purchased nearly 2,000 additional acres in the Dehesa Valley including the Sycuan Golf Resort and properties adjoining the reservation land that President Grant recognized as ours in 1875. Given the historic presence of our people in the Dehesa Valley , it is entirely appropriate that we seek to have these lands taken into Federal Trust to restore them to our homeland. In 2007, Sycuan will apply to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to place these lands into Federal Trust status. This process will require a complete environmental review and a demonstration that the Kumeyaay land is historically significant to Sycuan, a finding that is irrefutable. The review of our application by the BIA will provide ample opportunity for comment from our local neighbors and fellow governments such as the County of San Diego. Another important matter, totally unrelated to the placement of lands into Federal Trust status, will be the consideration by the State Legislature in early 2007 of an amended State Gaming Compact that governs the gaming operations on our reservation. The amended Compact, signed by Governor Swarzenegger in August 2006, allows expansion of gaming on our reservation and includes several provisions that increase State revenues and ensure that new tribal projects mitigate for environmental impacts. In exchange for expanded gaming, Sycuan will pay approximately $20 million annually to the State General Fund plus an additional 15% of the net win from any additional slot machines. This new agreement also requires that any new tribal projects complete a comprehensive environmental study with mitigation measures subject to binding arbitration with the County. In addition, the agreement includes expanded protections for employees and casino patrons. Unfortunately, uninformed anti-gaming activists have mischaracterized both the provisions of the amended gaming Compact and the process for placing additional Kumeyaay lands into Trust status. Sycuan has therefore begun an information outreach program to communicate with our neighbors about our future aspirations. To counteract misleading and factually incorrect petitions, we have distributed detailed information to the public about the requirements of the new amended Compact and the process for placing additional land into Trust status. We invite San Diegans to learn the facts about the amended Compact by visiting our website at www.sycuan.com . Sycuan has established a strong working relationship with our neighbors over the years with open communication and by providing substantial support for local schools, charitable organizations and funding for community infrastructure. The continued economic growth of our tribally-owned businesses can be accomplished in a way that respects our neighbors by providing effective mitigation of any potential environmental impacts that may result from gaming expansion. By working together with our neighbors in an open dialogue, the future economic growth of our businesses can be maintained and we can continue to provide a stimulus for the regional economy and an entertaining environment for San Diego residents and visitors to enjoy for years to come.
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