U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

30–361 PDF WASHINGTON : 2018

S. HRG. 115–253 

H.R. 597 AND H.R. 1491 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

APRIL 25, 2018 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Indian Affairs 

( 

(II) 

COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS 

JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota, Chairman 

TOM UDALL, New Mexico, Vice Chairman 

JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming 

JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona 

LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska 

JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma 

STEVE DAINES, Montana 

MIKE CRAPO, Idaho 

JERRY MORAN, Kansas 

MARIA CANTWELL, Washington 

JON TESTER, Montana, 

BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii 

HEIDI HEITKAMP, North Dakota 

CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada 

TINA SMITH, Minnesota 

T. MICHAEL ANDREWS, Majority Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

JENNIFER ROMERO, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

Hearing held on April 25, 2018 .............................................................................. 1 

Statement of Senator Hoeven ................................................................................. 1 

Statement of Senator Udall .................................................................................... 2 

WITNESSES

Healy, Hon. Mike, Councilmember, City of Petaluma, California ....................... 21 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 23 

Kahn, Hon. Kenneth, Chairman, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians .......... 6 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 8 

Krauch, William ‘‘Bill’’, Chair, Santa Ynez Valley Coalition ............................... 26 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 28 

LaCounte, Darryl, Acting Deputy Bureau Director, Office of Trust Services, 

Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior .............................. 3 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 4 

Mejia, Hon. Marjorie, Chairperson, Lytton Rancheria of California ................... 11 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 13 

APPENDIX

Gore, Hon. James, Chairperson, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, prepared statement ................................................................................................... 39 

Letters Submitted for the record by: 

Hon. Salud O. Carbajal, U.S. Representative of California .......................... 42 

Hon. Doug LaMalfa, U.S. Representative of California ................................ 43 

Das Williams, Chair, Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors ............ 41 

Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, supplemental information submitted 

for the record ........................................................................................................ 43 

(1) 

H.R. 597 AND H.R. 1491 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018 

U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS, Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:30 p.m. in room 

628, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. John Hoeven, 

Chairman of the Committee, presiding. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN HOEVEN, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM NORTH DAKOTA 

The CHAIRMAN. Good afternoon. We will call this legislative hearing to order. 

Today the Committee will examine two bills: H.R. 597, a bill to 

take lands in Sonoma County, California, into trust as part of the 

reservation of the Lytton Rancheria of California, and for other 

purposes; and H.R. 1491, a bill to reaffirm the action of the Secretary of Interior to take land into trust for the benefit of the Santa 

Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians, and for other purposes. 

On January 20, 2017, Representative Denham introduced H.R. 

597, the Lytton Rancheria Homelands Act of 2017. The bill passed 

the House of Representatives on July 11, 2017, and was received 

by the Senate on July 12, 2017. H.R. 597 would take 511 acres of 

land owned by the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians of California into 

trust for the benefit of the tribe. 

The Lytton Rancheria has spent years negotiating with the local 

county of Sonoma to form and approve a memorandum of agreement that would mitigate any potential off-reservation impact from 

land being moved into trust. The land, once in trust, would assist 

the tribe in further developing their economy and provide for additional housing. 

On March 10, 2017, Representative Lamalfa introduced H.R. 

1491, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Land Affirmation 

Act of 2017. The bill passed the House of Representatives on November 28, 2017, and was received by the Senate on November 29, 

2017. H.R. 1491 would reaffirm the Secretary of Interior’s decision 

to place 1,427.28 acres of California land in trust for the Santa 

Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, resolving years of litigation regarding the Secretary’s decision. 

After negotiating over the county’s concerns, the tribal and the 

local county of Santa Barbara have also entered into an effective 

memorandum of agreement. This MOA provides for the mitigation 

of potential impacts once the land is in trust. 

2 

On January 18, 2018, Senators Feinstein and Harris requested 

this Committee hold a legislative hearing on these two California 

tribal bills. I look forward to hearing the feedback from our witnesses on both these pieces of legislation. 

With that, I will turn to Vice Chairman Udall for his comments. 

STATEMENT OF HON. TOM UDALL, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW MEXICO 

Senator UDALL. Thank you, Chairman Hoeven, for calling today’s 

legislative hearing. 

As many of you know, Congress’ enactment of the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934 marked a significant turning point in the Federal-tribal relationship. Through this Act, Congress sought to empower, rather than undermine, tribal governments. The authority 

of the Secretary to take land into trust is the crowning achievement of the IRA. 

This authority represented a clear rejection of the allotment era, 

when Indian tribes lost tens of millions, by some estimates hundreds of millions, of acres of their land in less than 50 years. The 

loss of a tribal land base decimated tribal governments and destroyed tribal economies. 

Since passage of the IRA, tribes have successfully restored millions of acres of homelands. That includes more than 500,000 in the 

past eight years. I hope we stay the course. Indian Country deserves no les. That is why I remain concerned about the Department’s proposal to revise its land into trust regulations, potentially 

placing additional hurdles in the way of tribes. 

The importance of tribal trust acquisitions cannot be overstated. 

After all, the authority to govern is rooted in the authority to exercise jurisdiction. The authority to provide safe refuge to tribal citizens, the ability to house tribal members and exercise jurisdiction, 

ensuring their well-being. 

I appreciate, as the opposition here today demonstrates, that not 

all trust acquisitions will be without controversy. But this legislation before us demonstrates what local governments and tribes can 

achieve through mutual respect and cooperation. I would like to 

thank the witnesses for coming here today. It is a long flight from 

California. Again, thank you, Mr. Chairman, for calling this hearing. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Vice Chairman Udall. 

With that, our witnesses today are Mr. Darryl LaCounte, Acting 

Deputy Bureau Director, Office of Trust Services, Bureau of Indian 

Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior; the Honorable Kenneth 

Kahn, Chairman, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, Santa 

Ynez, California; the Honorable Marjie Mejia, Chairperson, Lytton 

Rancheria of California, Santa Rosa, California; the Honorable 

Mike Healy, Councilmember, City of Petaluma, Petaluma, California; Mr. William ‘‘Bill’’ Krauch, Chair, Santa Ynez Valley Coalition, Los Olivos, California. 

I want to remind the witnesses that your full written testimony 

will be made a part of the official hearing record. Please keep your 

statements to five minutes so we have time for questions. With 

that, we will begin with Mr. LaCounte. 

3 

STATEMENT OF DARRYL LACOUNTE, ACTING DEPUTY 

BUREAU DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF TRUST SERVICES, BUREAU 

OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Mr. LACOUNTE. Good afternoon, Chairman Hoeven and Vice 

Chairman Udall. 

My name is Darryl LaCounte. I am the Acting Deputy Bureau 

Director for Trust Services for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the 

Department of Interior. I am happy to present the department’s 

views on H.R. 597, the Lytton Rancheria Homelands Act of 2017, 

and H.R. 1491, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Land Affirmation Act of 2017. 

Let me begin with this. The department supports tribal self-determination, which at times include tribes electing to voluntarily 

proscribe activities that may legally be conducted on their lands. 

Therefore, the department supports the congressional efforts being 

made in H.R. 597, the Lytton Rancheria Homelands Act. 

The bill will assure a homeland for the Lytton Rancheria of California where tribal housing as well as governmental community facilities are needed and can be constructed. In addition, the lands 

will also provide economic opportunities, including the continued 

use of a portion of the lands for viniculture. 

The Lytton Rancheria Homelands Act of 2017 addresses the long 

history of Federal Indian relations in California and provides for a 

viable homeland for members of the tribe. The tribe’s original 

homeland was purchased in 1926, pursuant to Congressional authority. 

On August 1, 1961, the tribe was terminated in accordance with 

the Rancheria Act of 1958. As a result of termination, the tribe lost 

their original homelands that were purchased in 1926. In 1987, the 

tribe joined other tribes in a lawsuit against the United States, 

challenging their termination. Based on an agreement between 

parties, in the case of Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians of the 

Sugar Bowl Rancheria v. United States, the tribe was restored to 

federally-recognized status. 

The lands identified in H.R. 597 will ensure that the Lytton 

Rancheria has permanent protected homeland as it enjoyed prior 

to termination. The ability for tribes to acquire land in trust and 

the certainty that such lands remain in trust is an essential tool 

for fostering tribal self-determination. Administering trust lands is 

an important responsibility that the United States undertakes on 

behalf of Indian tribes. The Congress, through its plenary authority 

over Indian affairs, can direct the department to acquire and administer trust lands as it does in H.R. 597. 

Also, we understand the Department of Justice may have technical comments on H.R. 597. Therefore, we support the Congressional goals embodied in H.R. 597, the Lytton Rancheria Homelands Act. 

And now for H.R. 1491, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Land Affirmation Act of 2017. This legislation would reaffirm 

the action of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust 

for the benefit of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians. The department supports the tribe’s efforts to voluntarily proscribe the activities that may legally be conducted on its lands 

through H.R. 1491. 

4 

H.R. 1491 would reaffirm the decision dated January 19, 2017, 

that the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs 

Lawrence S. Roberts take approximately 1,427 acres of land in 

Santa Barbara County, California, into trust for the benefit of the 

tribe. On January 20th, 2017, the Pacific Area Regional Director 

accepted the land into trust. Since that time, the tribe has worked 

with Santa Barbara County on a memorandum of agreement between the two parties regarding lands into trust. 

On October 31, 2017, the Board of Supervisors for the county approved the MOA and the department approved the MOA pursuant 

to Section 2103 of the revised statute, 25 U.S.C. Section 81. The 

tribe has further agreed that gaming will not be conducted on the 

identified lands taken into trust for the tribe. When a trust acquisition is finalized and the title transferred in the name of the United 

States, tribes in the United States should be able to depend on the 

status of the land and the scope of the authority over such lands 

taken into trust. H.R. 1491, with amendments, would provide such 

certainty regarding the ownership status of this land. 

In conclusion, administering trust lands is an important responsibility the United States undertakes on behalf of Indian tribes and 

the Secretary’s authority to acquire lands in trust for the tribes 

and a certainty concerning the status of and jurisdiction over Indian lands after such acquisitions, are at the core of the Federal 

trust responsibility. 

This concludes my statement on both H.R. 597 and H.R. 1491. 

I would be happy to answer questions the Committee may have. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. LaCounte follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF DARRYL LACOUNTE, ACTING DEPUTY BUREAU DIRECTOR, 

OFFICE OF TRUST SERVICES, BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

THE INTERIOR

H.R. 597 

Chairman Hoeven, Vice Chairman Udall, and members of the Committee, my 

name is Darryl LaCounte and I am the Acting Deputy Bureau Director-Trust Services at the Department of the Interior. Thank you for the opportunity to present the 

Department’s views on H.R. 597, the Lytton Rancheria Homelands Act of 2017. 

The Departments supports tribal self-determination, which at times includes 

tribes electing to voluntarily proscribe activities that may legally be conducted on 

their lands. Therefore, the Department supports the congressional efforts being 

made in H.R. 597. The bill will assure a homeland for the Lytton Rancheria of 

Califorina (Tribe) where tribal housing, as well as governmental and community facilities, is needed and can be constructed. In addition, the lands will also provide 

economic opportunities, including the continued use of a portion of the lands for 

viniculture. 

Background 

The Lytton Rancheria Homelands Act of 2017 addresses the long history of Federal-Indian relations in California and provides for a viable homeland for the members of the Tribe. The Tribe’s original homeland was purchased in 1926 pursuant 

to congressional authority designed to remedy tragedy that befell the Indians of 

California. On August 1, 1961, the Tribe was terminated in accordance with the 

Rancheria Act of 1958. As a result of termination the Tribe lost their original homelands that were purchased in 1926. 

In 1987, the Tribe joined other tribes in a lawsuit against the United States challenging their termination. Based on an agreement between the parties, in the case 

of Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians of the Sugar Bowl Rancheria v. United 

States, the Tribe was restored to federally recognized status. The Stipulated Judgment, however, contains provisions that prohibit the Tribe from exercising its federal rights on its original homelands. Through agreements in the Stipulated JudgVerDate Mar 15 2010 13:05 Jun 25, 2018 Jkt 030361 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\DOCS\30361.TXT JACK
5 

ment, the Tribe must depend on lands outside of their original homelands to support 

their government. The lands identified in H.R. 597 will ensure that the Lytton 

Rancheria has a permanent protected homeland as it enjoyed prior to termination. 

The ability for Tribes to acquire land in trust and the certainty that such lands remain in trust is an essential tool for fostering tribal self-determination. 

H.R. 597 

H.R. 597 will place approximately 511 acres of land into trust for the Tribe. Section 4 of H.R. 597 references a map titled ‘‘Lytton Fee Owned Property to be Taken 

into Trust’’ dated May 1, 2015, that identifies lands to be placed into trust for the 

Tribe pursuant to the bill. Under H.R. 597, once the land is in trust for the Tribe, 

valid existing rights, contracts, and management agreements related to easements 

and rights-of-way will remain. H.R. 597 also includes a restriction that the Tribe 

may not conduct any gaming activities on any land placed into trust pursuant to 

this Act and places a time prohibition on gaming on any future lands placed in trust 

in Sonoma County for the Tribe until March 15, 2037, an approximately 19-year 

prohibition. 

H.R. 597 also references a Memorandum of Agreement between Sonoma County 

and the Tribe. The MOA affects not only the trust acquisition covered in the legislation but also future acquisitions and subjects the Tribe to the land use/zoning authority of the County for most of the property identified in the legislation for the 

term of the MOA, 22 years, and imposes negotiated restrictions on the Tribe’s residential development. H.R. 597 also includes a permanent gaming prohibition on 

those lands located north of California State Highway Route 12 as it crosses 

through Sonoma County at Highway 101, and extending to the furthest extent of 

Sonoma County. 

Administering trust lands is an important responsibility that the United States 

undertakes on behalf of Indian tribes. The Congress, through its plenary authority 

over Indian Affairs, can direct the Department to acquire and administer trust 

lands as it does in H.R. 597. The Department is also supportive of counties and 

tribes negotiating agreements to resolve their differences. 

We understand that the Department of Justice may have technical comments on 

the bill. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, The Departments supports tribal self-determination, which at times 

includes tribes electing to voluntarily proscribe activities that may legally be conducted on their lands. Therefore, we support the congressional goals embodied in 

H.R. 597, the Lytton Rancheria Homelands Act. I would be glad to answer any questions the Committee may have. 

H.R. 1491 

Chairman Hoeven, Vice Chairman Udall, and Members of the Committee, my 

name is Darryl LaCounte and I am the Acting Deputy Bureau Director-Trust Services at the Department of the Interior (Department). Thank you for the opportunity 

to present testimony on H.R. 1491, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Land 

Affirmation Act of 2017. This bill would reaffirm the action of the Secretary of the 

Interior to take land into trust for the benefit of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash 

Mission Indians (Tribe). The Department supports the Tribe’s efforts to voluntarily 

proscribe the activities that may legally be conducted on its lands through H.R. 

1491. 

Background 

By decision dated January 19, 2017, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary— 

Indian Affairs, Lawrence S. Roberts affirmed the December 24, 2014, decision of the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Pacific Regional Director to take approximately 1,427 

acres of land in Santa Barbara County, California, into trust for the benefit of the 

Tribe. On January 20, 2017, the Regional Director accepted the land into trust. 

Since that time the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash has worked with Santa Barbara County on a Memorandum of Agreement between the two parties regarding 

the lands taken into trust. On October 31, 2017, the Board of Supervisors for the 

County approved the MOA and the Department approved the MOA pursuant to section 2103 of the Revised Statutes (25 U.S.C. 81). The Tribe has further agreed that 

gaming will not be conducted on the identified lands taken into trust for the Tribe. 

The Department agrees that certainty of title is important, as it provides tribes, 

the United States, and state and local governments with the clarity needed to carry 

out each sovereign’s respective obligations. Such certainty is pivotal to the tribe’s 

6 

ability to provide essential government services to its citizens, such as housing, education, health care, and promote tribal economies. 

Once the trust acquisition is finalized and title transferred in the name of the 

United States, tribes and the United States should be able to depend on the status 

of the land and the scope of the authority over the land. H.R. 1491, with amendments, would provide such certainty regarding the ownership status of this land. 

H.R. 1491 

Section 3 of H.R. 1491 provides that the action taken by the Department on January 20, 2017, to place approximately 1,427 acres of land located in Santa Barbara 

County, California, into trust for the benefit of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash 

Indians, is hereby ratified and confirmed as if that action had been taken under a 

Federal law specifically authorizing or directing that action. 

H.R. 1491 also provides that nothing in the legislation shall enlarge, impair, or 

otherwise affect any right or claim of the Tribe to any land or interest in land in 

existence before the date of the enactment of H.R. 1491; affect any water right of 

the Tribe in existence before the date of the enactment; or terminate or limit any 

access in any way to any right-of-way or right-of-use issued, granted, or permitted 

before the date of the enactment of H.R. 1491. The legislation would also restrict 

lands already taken into trust to preclude the Tribe from conducting gaming activities on the land, as a matter of claimed inherent authority or under any Federal 

law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq) and regulations promulgated by the Secretary or the National Indian Gaming Commission 

under that Act. 

Conclusion 

Administering trust lands is an important responsibility that the United States 

undertakes on behalf of Indian tribes. The Secretary’s authority to acquire lands in 

trust for tribes and the certainty concerning the status of and jurisdiction over Indian lands after such acquisitions are at the core of federal trust responsibility. This 

concludes my statement and I would be happy to answer questions. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. Mr. Kahn? 

STATEMENT OF HON. KENNETH KAHN, CHAIRMAN, SANTA 

YNEZ BAND OF CHUMASH INDIANS 

Mr. KAHN. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice Chairman, thank you for the 

opportunity to appear before you today. I am proud to be here representing the members of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in support of H.R. 1491, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash 

Mission Indians Land Affirmation Act of 2017. 

This legislation ratifies the actions taken by the Department of 

the Interior to place the land in trust for our tribe. If enacted, it 

will allow us to expedite the construction of 143 homes for tribal 

members and descendants, and will provide us with much-needed 

land to protect and grow our cultural heritage. 

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is the only federallyrecognized tribe of Chumash heritage. Our Chumash people inhabited the California coast from Monterrey to the north to Malibu in 

the south. The Chumash were the first California Indians encountered by the Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo when he landed in 

what is now known as the city of Ventura, California, in 1542. 

Like many California Indians, we were forced into Spanish missions for generations, destroying much of our culture, confiscating 

our lands and decimating our populations. Following the mission 

era in 1906, the United States granted our tribe 99 acres in Santa 

Ynez, California. We subsequently voted to organize under the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934. 

While most of the reservation lacked running water and electricity, the tribe secured several HUD grants in the 1960s and 

1970s to build housing for our members. Today, those renovated 

7 

50-year-old HUD houses remain the primary housing on our reservation. As a result, only 17 percent of our tribal members and descendants live on tribal land. 

After Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, our 

tribe elected to take advantage of the opportunity. We entered into 

a compact with the State of California and have run a successful 

gaming operation for almost 20 years. Like many tribes, gaming 

was a catalyst. It provided us the resources to rebuild our government and rebuild our culture. Like any government, one of our 

greatest needs is housing. As I mentioned, only a fraction of our 

tribal members and descendants live on tribal land. And with no 

space left to construct new houses, we knew that we needed to acquire more land. 

We purchased roughly 1,400 acres known as Camp 4, just over 

a mile from our existing reservation that was part of our aboriginal 

territory. With this purchase, we committed to our members that 

we would ensure each tribal family have a tribal land assignment 

to build a home on this new tribal land, once Camp 4 was taken 

into Federal trust. Before even attempting to place the land into 

trust, we approached our community. We know there are often misunderstandings about tribal lands, and we wanted to put our plans 

out in the open. We even went so far as to propose a cooperative 

mitigation agreement with the county before we attempted to pursue the legislative or administrative avenues for placing the land 

in trust. 

Sadly, we were met with resistance. Some in the community 

questioned our motives and made false accusations about our plans 

for the land. To be clear, we do not want to build a casino on the 

land and we do not want to export the water. 

After years of sharp criticism, it was clear our word was not 

enough. So we redoubled our efforts to reach an agreement with 

those who would work with us. It took seven years, but I am proud 

to say that we got there. 

On October 31, 2017, after 22 public hearings and hundreds, if 

not thousands, of public comments, the tribe and the county entered into a binding mitigation agreement for development on 

Camp 4 lands. The tribe agreed to build 143 housing units, a small 

tribal meeting hall, and an administrative building, and protecting 

the vast majority of the property as agricultural land or environmental open space. We agreed to fairly compensate the county for 

services it provided in the area. 

I want to be clear: we entered into this agreement because it was 

the right thing to do, not because we were forced to do so. 

In the midst of our negotiation with Santa Barbara County, the 

Department of the Interior placed our lands in trust. Some believed 

that there was no need for an agreement. The tribal leadership was 

committed. We wanted to proceed, hoping we could improve relations in the valley and establish a precedent for future collaboration with the county. Our decision to continue working with the 

county, even after our land was placed in trust, is a big reason why 

we have such strong community support for the bill. 

On that note, Mr. Chairman, I would ask that the statements 

from Santa Barbara County, our local Congressman, Salud 

8 

Carbajal, and the bill’s sponsor, Congressman Doug Lamalfa, be 

added to the hearing record. 

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection. 

Mr. KAHN. I would also request that the Committee accept the 

statements of 37 individuals who spoke in support of the tribe and 

its agreement with the county at a public hearing on October 31, 

2017. These statements include those of former Congressman Lois 

Capps and former county supervisors where the tribe is located, 

Dorene Farr, and Gail Marshall. 

In conclusion, I want to thank the Committee once again for the 

opportunity to be here today. The bill will expedite much-needed 

housing for tribal members and will set a precedent that good faith 

negotiations between tribes and local governments will be rewarded. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, thank you, Mr. Vice Chairman. I look 

forward to answering any questions you may have. 

[The prepared staetmetn of Mr. Kahn follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. KENNETH KAHN, CHAIRMAN, SANTA YNEZ BAND OF

CHUMASH INDIANS

Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice Chairman, Members of the Committee, thank you for the 

opportunity to appear before you today. I am proud to be here representing the 

Members of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in support of H.R. 1491, the 

Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Land Affirmation Act of 2017. 

This legislation ratifies the actions taken by the Department of the Interior to 

place land in trust for our Tribe. If enacted, it will allow us to expedite the construction of 143 homes for tribal members and descendants, and will provide us with a 

much needed land base to protect and grow our cultural heritage. 

I want to begin by providing a brief history of how we got here. The context is 

important, and should give you a good lens with which to view this legislation. 

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is the only federally recognized tribe 

of Chumash heritage. Our Chumash people historically inhabited the California 

coast from Paso Robles in the North, to Malibu in the South. The Chumash were 

the first California Indians encountered by the Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo when 

he landed in what is now the City of Ventura, California in 1542. 

Like many California Indians, we were forced into Spanish missions for generations, destroying much of our culture, confiscating our lands, and decimating our 

population. 

Following the Mission era, in 1906, the United States provided our tribe 99 acres 

in a swampy riverbed in Santa Ynez, California. We subsequently voted to organize 

under the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934. 

Even while most of the reservation lacked running water and electricity, the Tribe 

secured several HUD grants in the 1960s and 1970s to build housing for our members. Today, those renovated 50-year-old HUD houses remain the only housing on 

our reservation. As a result, only 17 percent of our tribal members and descendants 

live on tribal land. 

After Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, our Tribe elected to 

take advantage of the opportunity. We entered into a compact with the State of 

California, and have run a successful gaming operation for almost 20 years. 

Like many tribes, gaming was a catalyst. It provided us the resources to rebuild 

our government and our culture. 

By 2010, the greatest need in our community was tribal housing. As I mentioned, 

only a fraction of tribal members and descendants live on tribal land, and with no 

space left to construct new houses, we knew that we needed to acquire more land. 

We were fortunate to find a landowner just down the road from our existing reservation that was willing to sell us land that was a part of our original land grant 

from the Catholic Church, clearly within our aboriginal territory. When we purchased the roughly 1,400 acres known as Camp 4, we committed to our members 

that each family would have a land assignment on tribal land once Camp 4 was 

taken into trust. 

Before even attempting to place the land in trust, we approached our community. 

We know there are often misunderstandings about tribal lands, and we wanted to 

9 

put our plans out in the open. We even went so far as to propose a cooperative mitigation agreement with the County before beginning the legislative or administrative 

avenues for placing the land in trust. 

Sadly we were met with resistance. Some in the community questioned our motives and made false accusations about our plans for the land. It was frustrating. 

No, we don’t want to build a new casino just a mile away from our existing casino. 

No, we didn’t want the land in trust so we could export the water. 

To be candid, some of what was said was extremely disappointing. 

We heard wild, baseless allegations such as the Tribe was not a political jurisdiction eligible for government-to-government negotiations. We were told that it is inadvisable for sovereign tribal trust lands to exist in America. Some even asserted 

that our Chairman was a Mexican, not a Native American. 

After more than a year of sharp, baseless criticisms, it was clear that our good 

faith effort to resolve local issues prior to beginning the Fee to Trust process had 

failed. So, in July 2013 we filed the Administrative fee-to-trust application for Camp 

4. 

Not surprisingly, our opponents immediately filed suit opposing the action. Knowing this group would use the administrative and legal appeals process to delay our 

application for as long as possible, we also sought to place the land in trust via an 

act of Congress. 

Tribal leaders also redoubled our efforts to reach an agreement with those who 

would work with us, starting with the County Sheriff Department. The Tribe had 

developed a wonderful relationship with our Sheriff through years of joint programs 

and jurisdictional cooperation, and we believed we could negotiate with them in 

good faith. 

Our faith was well-placed. The Chumash Tribe and Sheriff Bill Brown entered 

into a new cooperative agreement that improved public safety in the region by having the Tribe provide funding for a new police cruiser and four deputies (that has 

now grown to six deputies) at a cost of more than $1 million each year. These deputies didn’t just serve the Reservation, they responded to emergencies all across 

Santa Barbara County. Next, we moved on to the Fire Department, and secured an 

agreement in which the Tribe contributes more than $1 million each year to improve County-wide emergency services for our community. 

Those two agreements came as we began to see movement on both the administrative and legislative fee-to-trust routes. 

In late 2014, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Sacramento Regional Office issued a 

Notice of Decision regarding the Department’s intent to accept the Camp 4 land in 

trust. The Department had determined that the tribe’s application met the criteria 

for federal acquisition, and in accordance with federal regulations, proposed accepting the land for the benefit of the Tribe. 

However, once again, our neighbors chose litigation over cooperation. The Department of the Interior was sued more than half a dozen times over their decision, including by the County of Santa Barbara. 

Fortunately, in early June 2015 the House Resources Committee’s Subcommittee 

on Indian Affairs held a hearing on an earlier version of this legislation. This 

marked a turning point. 

Upon Congressional examination, the weakness of the opposition’s position came 

to light. For House Resources Committee Members, who routinely deal with issues 

dealing with Native American Tribes, the issue was black and white. The Tribe proposed taking land in trust, proposed development that was consistent with the surrounding community, and attempted to mitigate impacts even though that step was 

not required by federal law. This should have been an open-and-shut case—and 

Committee Members said so in no uncertain terms. 

That hearing was a real wake up call for the County of Santa Barbara. For too 

long, the County had allowed a vocal minority within the community to steer the 

official County position. When the details were examined by a neutral third party, 

the error in their ways became clear. 

And to the County’s credit, they responded positively. Promptly after we returned 

from the hearing in Washington, the County reached out and expressed an interest 

in re-examining their position. We happily agreed to come back to the negotiating 

table. Our leadership knew that neither the Tribe nor the county were going anywhere, so it was in both of our best interests to find ways to get along. 

After some discussion, the County and Tribe initiated the Ad Hoc Subcommittee 

Regarding Santa Ynez Valley Band of Chumash Indians Matters on August 15, 

2015. The group was made up of two Members of the Board of Supervisors and two 

members of the Chumash Business Committee. I have served on this committee 

since its inception, first in my capacity as Vice Chairman, and since April 2016, as 

Chairman of the Tribe. 

10 

Like any negotiation, there were fits and starts. Sometimes we hit fundamental 

disagreements, and talks slowed to a trickle. Sometimes there were bursts of 

progress when we made a breakthrough. Many were skeptical, but I am proud to 

say we got there. On October 31, 2017, after 22 public meetings and hundreds, if 

not thousands, of public comments, the Tribe and the County entered into a binding 

mitigation agreement for development on our Camp Four lands. 

The agreement stipulates that the Tribe will build 143 housing units, and a small 

Tribal Meeting Hall/administrative building. Under the agreement the vast majority 

of the property will be protected as agricultural land or environmental open space. 

And we agreed to fairly compensate the County for the services it provides in the 

area. Under the terms of the agreement, the County dismissed its lawsuit against the 

Department of the Interior. The County also agreed to support the Legislation being 

considered here today. 

I would like to take a moment to recognize the County’s representatives who are 

in the audience today—since we turned the corner, they have really been wonderful 

partners. In particular, I want to recognize the singular leadership of Supervisor 

Joan Hartmann, who represents our Supervisorial District, Chaired the Ad Hoc 

Subcommittee, and served as Chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors until this 

year. Supervisor Hartmann was a force to be reckoned with, and I want to thank 

her for her personal efforts and commitment to getting us to where we are today. 

I will return to some of the specifics of our agreement in a moment, but I want 

to briefly underscore an important point: we entered into this agreement because 

it was the right thing to do—not because we were forced to do so. 

In the midst of our negotiations with Santa Barbara County, the Department of 

the Interior placed our lands in trust. On January 19, 2018, Acting Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Roberts completed our Fee-to-Trust process and dismissed the pending challenges against the action. Secretary Zinke subsequently 

upheld this action in the new Administration. 

We had already won; there was no need for the agreement, according to many of 

my members. 

But tribal leadership was committed. We hoped that by going through with negotiations, we could improve relations in the valley and set a road map for how we 

work with the County on future projects. 

Looking back now, I believe that was the right decision. Our agreement demonstrated to many in the Community that good faith negotiations between the 

County and the Tribe are possible, and that they can be fruitful. I also believe that 

our decision to work with the County even after our land was placed in trust is a 

big reason why we have such strong support for the bill. 

On that note, Mr. Chairman, I would ask that following the conclusion of my remarks, the Committee accept several key statements of support from Santa Barbara 

County, our local Congressman, Salud Carbajal, and the bill’s sponsor, Representative Doug LaMalfa. I would also ask that the committee include comments in support of the agreement from Former Congresswoman Lois Capps, Former Supervisor 

Doreen Farr, and more than two dozen other local leaders, chambers of commerce, 

labor groups, environmental organizations, and other community members. 

I will be the first to acknowledge that not everyone is happy with this agreement. 

As you will hear from Mr. Krauch, some of our neighbors are still unhappy, even 

after all of the concessions we made willingly. 

They have every right to raise concerns, and I am glad that they did. Mr. Krauch 

and others brought up a number of tough issues, and because of the open, transparent public hearing process, we were forced to respond to their comments. More 

importantly, we made changes to the agreement based on their concerns. Don’t take 

my word for it. Look back to our initial offer to the County nearly ten years ago; 

I think it is clear as day that we made substantial concessions to the community. 

It is worth mentioning a few of the more substantive concerns that were raised, 

and how we addressed them in the agreement referred to in Section 2 of the legislation. 

Gaming is often cited as a major concern with fee-to-trust applications across the 

country. Our application was not, is not, and will never be for gaming. It is about 

housing. That is why the only component of the agreement that lasts in perpetuity 

is the prohibition on gaming. The tribe does not feel that this was a major concession—our existing gaming facility is less than two miles down the road. It would 

make no sense to build a new casino on this land, so we were happy to take that 

off the table. As you will notice, this was done in Section 3(g) of the bill. 

Concerns about land use were, without question, the most common issue raised 

prior to the formal negotiations with the County and throughout the public process. 

Sovereign tribal land is not subject to county zoning ordinances, and this really got 

11 

under the skin of some of the no-growth community members. But as members of 

the Santa Ynez Valley community, we share many of the goals of our neighbors. We 

don’t want high density multi-family urban-style development. And we certainly 

don’t want to spoil the bucolic scenery of the valley. 

That’s why the agreement with the County puts reasonable restrictions on what 

and where the Tribe can build. We voluntarily limit our construction projects to 143 

homes, and a tribal hall/administrative building. The rest of the land will be open 

space, remain in agricultural production, or be actively managed to maximize environmental benefit for the region. 

The size of the buildings we construct will be limited, as set forth in the Environmental Assessment that we submitted to the Department of the Interior. The agreement simply requires us to follow our original plans. 

Moreover, in an effort to address concerns about preserving the rural character 

of the Valley, the Tribe agreed to develop the Camp 4 property in a manner that 

was less dense than the neighboring housing development. We propose 143 homes 

on our 1,427-acre property, while our neighbors in the Rancho Santa Ines Estates 

development have 137 homes across 1,058 acres. 

A few of our more creative opponents have raised the concern that the Tribal Hall 

and Administrative building will be used to throw large parties. Nothing could be 

further from the truth. Events are limited, per the enforceable environmental assessment document. And, as with all tribal government facilities on our reservation, 

tribal law prohibits the consumption of alcohol. In reality, the 12,000 square foot 

space—which are coincidentally about the size of some of our neighbors’ homes— 

will be used for offices, and to hold tribal council meetings, youth education events, 

and traditional/cultural events. 

Another common concern we heard was that by placing the land in trust, the 

County loses out on tax revenue. This is true, and we set out to make it right. 

We asked the County to quantify the cost of services provided; after a thorough 

review, they requested $178,500 annually for the life of the agreement (until 2040). 

We felt this was fair, and happily agreed to the request. As such, in Section III, 

9(d), on page six of our agreement, the Tribe agrees to provide the County with 

these payments. 

Water was another important concern we heard. Some accused us of just wanting 

the land to sell the water during the drought. This was absurd, of course, because 

we need to use the water for housing. But we addressed the concerns none the less. 

Under the terms of the agreement, the new development will be water neutral during drought years. We will accomplish this by removing up to 50 acres of the existing agriculture on the property and by recycling all wastewater. It is also worth noting that the Indian Non-Intercourse Act prohibits the removal of water from tribal 

trust lands without express statutory authorization. So, to export water off the reservation we would require subsequent legislation from Congress. 

The last concern was also among the most frustrating. Many that opposed the 

agreement claim that it is not enforceable in a court of law. While the Santa Ynez 

Band of Chumash Indians is a federally recognized Indian Tribe that has sovereign 

immunity, Section V of the agreement includes a limited waiver of that immunity 

based on our enforceable gaming compact with the State of California. Put simply, 

if the Tribe fails to up hold its end of the deal, the County has legal remedies to 

address our failure. 

I have just run through a sampling of the issues that came up during the many 

months of public hearings, open dialogues, and Congressional consideration of this 

bill. There are many more issues that were raised, and each one received a written 

answer that is posted on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors webpage 

(https://www.countyofsb.org/tribal-matters.sbc). 

In conclusion, I want to thank the Committee once again for the opportunity to 

be here today. The bill will expedite much needed housing for our tribal members 

and will set a precedent that good faith negotiations between tribes and local governments will be rewarded. 

Thank you Mr. Chairman, and I look forward to answering any questions you may 

have. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Chairman Kahn. Chair Mejia? 

STATEMENT OF HON. MARJORIE MEJIA, CHAIRPERSON, 

LYTTON RANCHERIA OF CALIFORNIA 

Ms. MEJIA. Good afternoon, Chairman Hoeven, Vice Chairman 

Udall and members of the Committee on Indian Affairs. My name 

12 

is Margie Mejia, and I am the Chairperson for Lytton Rancheria, 

located near Santa Rosa, California. Thank you for inviting me 

here today to speak in strong support of H.R. 597, the Lytton 

Rancheria Homelands Act of 2017. 

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Sonoma County 

Supervisor David Rabbitt, who is sitting behind me today, and 

thank him and the entire board for their steadfast support of H.R. 

597. I would also like to thank the chairperson of the county board 

of supervisors, James Gore, for his written testimony in support of 

this vital legislation. 

This bill would place land currently owned by the tribe in Federal trust status, creating a tribal homeland for members of the 

tribe. The creation of this homeland would fulfill a promise made 

by the Federal Government in a 1991 Federal court stipulation 

that restored the tribe’s status as a federally-recognized tribe. 

We have worked hard to develop agreements and understandings 

with local non-Indian communities. Agreements with Sonoma 

County, the Windsor Fire Protection District and the Windsor Unified School District reflect our commitment to work with local governments in a mutually respectful manner. We appreciate the support of these governmental entities as well as the State of California for this bill restoring us to a homeland. 

I want to also confirm that we have agreed not to conduct gaming on the lands that will be taken into trust for the homeland in 

this bill. We have also agreed not to conduct gaming within the 

county of Sonoma, pursuant to the terms contained in our MOA 

with the county. 

I would like to announce today that at the request of Senator 

Feinstein and the county of Sonoma, the tribe has agreed to further 

amend the MOA with Sonoma County to prohibit gaming by the 

tribe in perpetuity in the county, as long as the tribe is not involuntarily prohibited by governmental decision or action from operating its casino in San Pablo, California, pursuant to IGRA. The 

Lytton Tribe has endured many hardships and has experienced a 

number of delays and broken promises in its attempt to establish 

a homeland for its members. No matter how difficult the situation, 

we may have become discouraged, but we have never given up. 

As you know, all tribes, all Native American tribes in all circumstances need a tribal homeland that is adequate to support economic activity and self-determination. We want and need to live in 

a community where we can thrive and prosper. Please give us that 

opportunity by passing our homeland bill. 

Thank you for your time, and I would be happy to answer any 

questions. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Mejia follows:] 

13 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. MARJORIE MEJIA, CHAIRPERSON, LYTTON RANCHERIA

OF CALIFORNIA


425a1.eps
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unconsdonable state of aUairs in California,. Congress enacted legislation to help 

purchase reservation lands for many of these Indians and tribes. The Lytton Rancheria 

is one such tribe that received reservation lands in Sonoma County. 

The Tribe resided on the land sustuining itself by fanning and ranching until it 

once again fell prey to a new Federal Wdian policy known as "'t~nninal:ion". 

Unforhmately, with passage of the Ranchcrla Act of 1958, Lytton Rancheria,. sl=gwith 

dozens of other California bibes, had its relationship with the Federal govemmC!lt 

terminated. As a result oftennination, the Tribe lost all of its Rancheria lands as well, 

nnd it once again became a destitute, landless Wdian tribe with no means of supporting 

itself. As has now been widely accepted, the Rancheria Act was another failed attempt 

to fur~:e Indian tribes to disband. Despite the hardships associ a led with the continuous 

loss of its homelands, the Lytton Tribe remained cohesive and strong, not giving up its 

claim that it had been wrongfully terminated. 

In 1987, the Tribe joined three other tribes in a Jaw:ouit against the United States 

challenging the tennination of their r11l1cherias. In 1991, the U.S. District Court for the 

Northern Distrkt of California concluded in Sc:otts Valley Band of Porno Indians of th.~ 

Sugar Bowl Rancheria v. United States of Al!!_e_rj_c~, No. C-86-3660 (N'.D.Cal March 22, 

199n that the termination of the Lytton Rancheria was indeed unlawful, and by order 

of the Court, Lytton's Federally-recognized tribal status was rt!Stol'l:ld. Part of the 

Stipulated Judgment reads," ... that the distrlbutccs of the Lytton Rancheria are eligible 

for all tights =d benefits extended to Indiaru; ttnder the Constitution and laws of the 

United States; and that the Lytton Indian Community Md its m~mbers shall be eligible 

for all lights and benefits ext~mded to other Federally-recognized Indian tribes and their 

men1bers, ... " 

Lytton's status was restored, but its land base, now owned by non-Indians, was 

not returned to the tribe, and with no home to return to, Lytton remained a landle!ls and 

impoverished tribe. The Stipulated Judgment that ended the case was agreed to by 

Federal Wld County authorities and specifically pronUsed the Tribe a new homeland in 

Sonoma County on lands to be held in trust by the United States. Twenty-four ycnrs 

later, the Tribe is still waiting for a new homeland. H.R. 597 fulfills the promises made 

by the Federal government in the stipulated judgment. 

ln2000, Congress directed the Secretary of Interior to take a small parcel of land 

into trust fOl' the Tribe for gaming purposes in San Pablo, Caltfomia (Section 819 of Pub. 

L.l06-568). This action was taken after due oonsideration and with strong local 

support. Pursuant to the action by the Congress, Lytton has established a small, 

successful Oass II gaming operation in that location which is limited by law to 

eledronic bingo games and poker. ThE! Tribe oollects revenues from this facility to pny 
15 


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for tribal services including the provision of education and health care, and has 

purchased property for a homeland and an a~.:ea to diversify the: Tribe's economic 

development While the Tribe's 9.5 a<::re San Pablo trust pan:el ill sufficient for the 

gaming facility, it cannot meet the Tribe's needs for a tribal homelBI!d. 

Need for Trust L;~ud 

Indian tribes have long bEen held to be distinct political <::ommuuitics. The 

inherent sovereignty of tribal goverrunents is recognized in the Unlled States 

Constitution, as well as in treaties, legislation, judicial and adminjstrative decisions. 

Like other govenunents, land is o;JSsential for tribes to function as governments. Tribal 

trust lands are especially !mpottant Lo tlto;Jtriba\ provision of governmental services for 

their citizens, such as housing, health ~;m:e, edu~;ation, economic development, and the 

protection of historic, cultural and religious ties to the land. 

The Indian Reorganization Act ("IRA") recognized tl1e need for tribes to have 

and govern their own lands to provide for th~e -.dvancement and self-support of their 

people. The legislative history of the IRA clearly documents the intent of Congress to 

address and ameliorate the e;d:ensive loss of land tribes have suffered. Specifically, the 

IRA. made a chilllge in Federal Indian policy which would "establish machinery 

whereby Indian tribes would be able to assume a greater degree of self-government, 

both poliU~y and economically." 

In addition, every Indian tribe needs to have a homeland in order to assure not 

only the provision of services to its members but also jurisdicl:ion over Its lands to 

provide the necessary infr:astrncturo and land use planning for future generations. 

With the exception of the small pllt~el Congress authorized for gaming in San Pablo, the 

parcel is not of sufficient size to serve as a tribal homeland, and Lytton Raru:heria has 

been left essentially landless since it was terminated in 1961. For more than fifty years 

the Tribe has not been able to provide it!; members a homeland on which to build 

housing. commllllity and govemmental f<~dlities, and to plll'Sue our n:ligious practkes 

without interference from outsiders. 

Lytton Rancherial"1<1.5 used revenues from the San Pablo casino to plll'chase 

land~, from willing sellers and at fair market value, near its former Rancheria in the 

Alexander Valley of Sonoma County. LyttonRancheria has concentrated the purchase 

oi property near the Town of Windsor and cui'J'ently holds these lands in fee statLls. 

The atta~hed map entitled, uLytton Fee Owned Property to be Taken Into Trust- May 1, 

2015u shows the property pMposcd for trust status under H.R. 597 which includes Sll 
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aaes. There will be no gaming on any of the lands covered in H.R. 597 which 

specifically prohibits gaming on any of the laJlds. 

Of the acreage proposed for trust status, the Tribe proposes to use approximately 

124.12 ncrcs to address the immediate housing needs of its citizens and for other 

gcverrunental and community facilities, thereby allowing the Tribe a homclund for its 

members ilfter fifty yenrs in exile. A portion oi the land proposed to be taken into trust 

is currently being used for economic dE!velopment purposes such as viniculture. 

The Tribe has purchased a number of vineyards and Is operating Utcm in an 

environmentally-sensitive manner. Vineyards that were in various stages of disrcpilir 

prior to the Tribe's purchase nre now b~ing put back into clean, healthy working order. 

Small tributaries of the Russian River that have long been clogged Md unusable by fish 

are being cleared out and made environmentilly clean again. Additionally, the Tribe 

hilS installed wind machines to use during frost warnings to keep the grapes from 

freezing.. rather than using overhead spraying a£ water from the Russian Rlver like 

many ranches in the area. This lrulovative measure will save water from being taken 

from the Russian River at times that are vital t:) the river's flow. The Tribe's investment 

in the ongoing viniculture operations has rein•figoroted many previously deteriorating 

vineyards, and its grapes are being used to produce high-quality wines. Lytton 

operates its vineyards on a fillh-friendly and sustain..'lble tms.is, many of ita vineyards 

have already received suslainability certification pursuant to the procticcs of th~ 

Sonoma County Winegrapc Association and the California Sustainable Wine growing 

Alliance. 

County of SonOOllil 

After ye<~IS of discussion and negotiaticn, Lytton Rancheria and the Sonoma 

County Board of Supervisors have agreed to a:~d signed a binding Memorandum of 

Agreement (NJOA}. I am pleased to report that both the Lytton Tribal Council and the 

Sonoma County Board ofSupervi5ors voted wumimously to support the agreement and 

the legislation to take lands into trust for tlle Tribe. 

The detailed Agreement with the County initially spans a term of a generation 

and covers almost every aspect ofland management once the tribally-owna:l\and is 

ll'lken into trust status. The MOA is too long to detail in this testimony, but I will cover 

some of the significant port.ioru: 

An Environmental Assessment was pre:>ared and submitted to the Bureau of 

Indian Affairs and circulated regarding the residenti.lll development area for 

tribal housing. The Bureau of Indian Affairs issued a Finding of No Signif:kant 

Impact (FONSI} on June 5,2012. The MCJA contains t\grccments for the 
17 


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mitigation of potential impacts from thi~, or any future, land being taken into 

trust stahis for Lytton Rnn::heria. 

In !:he residential development area, the MOA contains agreements on how many 

units will be built, the size of the unHs mtd who can reside there. Some oak trees 

will be cut in the residential area,. however !lie Tribe has mru:ked and will pmtect 

the larger heritage trees, mel is providing the County with funding to r<.>place, on 

a 1 W 1 ratio, the smaller trees that arc Cl1t down. 

The Tribe has agreed to stricl: environmental protection and mitigation efforts for 

the residential project, including the community and governmental facilities. 

Th<.> Tribe has also agreed that for a potrntial future lodging fa.ctlity and 'Ninery, 

it will pl"epare an Environmental Impact Sbltement in compliance with NEPA 

and negotiate with the County on mitigating impacts. The Tribe has wrovcd its 

sovereign immunity in the MOA and has agreed to binding arbitration if there is 

disagreement on mitigation. 

Lytlon R=heria has agreed to provide<::ompensation for substantial mitigation 

and other oosts to the County. These indude a one-time payment ofS6 million 

dollars for mitigation of, among other things, Connty roads, native oaks, 

woodlands; and a one-time payment of .$100,000 for costs incurred by the County 

to prepare <m.d implement the MOA. 

The Tribe has agreed to a continuous payment to the County based on the 

valuation of the land as determined by the County Assessor's ()ffj{:e. In addition 

the Tribe has agreed to pay to the County 12% of ~11 rents colleded by the Tribe 

on hotel rooms and vacation rentals. 

This MOA with Sonoma County, involv8d a great deal of effort, but serves as an 

example of how local governmental entities and Tribes can work oogelher to 

address each other's ooncems in a thou!#ttful and respectful manner. I very 

much appreciate the efforts of Sonoma Collllty to work with the Tribe and 

appreci~te itl; support for this legislation. 

Lytton Rancheria is a Good Neighbor 

Lytton Rancheria has prided itself in being a good neighbor to the communities 

suiTOunding its lands. For exmnple, in San Pablo, the Tribe provides more than 50% of 

!:he City' a operating budget and donates to many local charities. The Tribe also 

sponsors an annual golf tournament to benefit the Brookside Foundation thus 

providing $100..000 a year for health care s~ervices 00 an impoverished community. The 

Tribe has donated 55(],000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of San P>~blo, and contributes 

$25,000 a year to the Friendship House in San Francisco to help n.id in drug and alcohol 

reh,hllit..tion in the> Bay Area. I pmu\Uy oorve as the Chairperson of the Bo"l'd oi 

Dlroctors of the Friendship House. 
18 


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The Tribe is a naming sponsor of the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in 

Sonoma County, donating $500,000 a year for children's programs and musical 

instruments. Lytton has recently agreed to give S250,000 a year for five years to the 

O,arles Shultz Children's Clarities, which in~ludes three different children's charities 

in Sonoma County. The Tribe has also contributed over $300,000 to otherTribul entities 

in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino Counties to address the inunediate needs of Native 

Americans impacted by the devastating fues :hat recently occurred in northern 

California. These axe ju.st a few examples of Lytton Rancheria using its resources to 

;u;sist its local communities and neighboring 7ribes. 

On the Federal level, Lytton Rancheria does not accept any Federal funding for 

which it is eligible as a Federally-recogrri2ed tribe with the exception of Indian Health 

Service (IHS) funding, which the Tribe immediately turns over to the Sonoma Indian 

Health Clinic. This Oinic provides health cam for all Indians residing in Sonoma 

County, regardless of tribal affiliailon. TI1e remainder of the Federal funding that the 

Tribe is eligible to receive goes to the local BlA agency to assist other tribes 

Memoranda of Agreement 

As referenced above, realizing that having land in trust in Sonoma County 

would chnnge some of the current rums of the lend, the Tribe has spcutyenrs meeting 

with, negotiating and forming agreem~n!s with the County of Sonoma, the! locnl school 

district and the local fire department. All of these entities strongly support H.R. 597. 

Wiud!lor Fire Protection Dislrict 

Lytton Rancheria has entered int<:l a Memorandum of Agreement with the 

Windsor Fire Protection District to provide emergency services t<:l tribal members 

located in the proprn;ed b':ibal housing area, which is within the District's jurisdiction. 

Under the Agreement, Uw Windsor Hre Prote~tion Dlstrk:t will provide the initial 

response to all emergency incidents for fire, medio;al, rescue or other reported 

emergency reasons. 

In rehlm for these services, the Tribe has agreed to make payments t<:l the fire 

district including: $50,000 a year for equipment p!Udlascs, and $80,000 a year for one 

full-time firefighter. In addition, the Tribe ha;: agreed t<:l pay to the District, prior to the 

start of construction: S75D per each single family home, $525 per each multi-family unit, 

and $340 per every 1,000 square feet of space for a c0ll.1lllunity center and tribal retreat 

center. Once property is In lrus! sial us thE! Tribe has also agreed to pay the District on 

an escalating basis yearly. The beglruling payment would be $25,000 a year and 

increase up to $50,000 n year for the term of the agreement. Further, U1e Tribe has 
19 


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agreed to p!ovide additional funding if ne<:essary in the case of ru:t emergency such as 

leuw-i:>lll, c;ulhquotke OI olhec ""ll. uf Gud. 

The Tribe will comply with California Fire Code and Fire Safety Standards 

Ordinance during construction of all housing rutd tribal buildings. The Tribe >vill also 

be responsible for providing adequate water and pressure for fuefighting. 

Windscr Unified School District 

Lytoon Rancheria bas entered into a Memorandum of Agreermmt with the 

WindSOl" Unified School Dilltric! to prepare for and mitigate an increase in school-aged 

children who would move into the proposed tribal housing. The TribE! has agreed to 

pay, based on the Environmental Assessment for the housing proj~ct, the amoWlt of Sl 

million dollars. This amoWltis similar to the amount that would be owed to the School 

District if the land were developed by a non-tribal entity. 

Town of Windsor 

The Tribe has discussed the possibility of using services from the Town of 

Windsor for water and sewer for the tribal housing area since the development would 

be just outside the current Town water and sewer boundaries. This decision is likely to 

be made through public referendum. If approved by the Tm'ITI residents, the Tribe ls 

prepared to pay its fair share of costs required for such services as well as to assist the 

Town with other priorities it has for its citizens. 

Govemor of California 

Governor Jerry Brown Jr. has consistently voiced support for U<e Lytton Tribe's 

efforts to secure a Tribal Homelund. The Governor, on behalf of the State of California, 

supports tlUs legislation. 

Opposition to the Lytton Homeland Bill 

I um aware of two entities opposing the Lytton Homeland bill- a small group of 

individuals living in and around the to,.,_ afWindscrwho call themselves the "Citizens 

for Windsor", and the City of Petaluma. I point out the opposition in my testimony 

because I do not wru:tt to take the chance that the assertions raised by these entities will 

go unchallenged during the healing on our bill, 

The Citizens for Windsor have consistently made false claims to the press and 

various gov=ent officials. Those claims can be summarized as follows: 

1) The Tn"be intends to destroy a self-sustaining Blue Oak Woodlands by cutting down 

1500 trees. 
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The County has recognized in the MOA that the Tribe has adequately mitigated 

tl'lC loss of the trees. It should be noted that the trees are not protected by locaL State or 

Federal law and that the Tribe has been ndvised to thL"l the forested area for fire 

protection purposes rcgnrdless of whetlt~ the housing is wnstructed. 

2) The Tribe's project threatens the water supply of the local community. 

The water resources to be used in these projects will most likely be groundwater. 

Under California Jaw, the groundwater under the Tribe's property is owned by the 

Tribe- not the local community. In addition, the area where the Tribe's land is located 

is not an area of groundwater depletion as detemtined by the Cowtly of Sonoma. 

3) The Tribe threatens to spray raw sewage water dose to a neighboring conununity. 

[£the Trib~ does not use the sewer services o£ the Town of Wmdsor, it will 

collStruct its own wastewater treatment plant. In the MOA, Sonoma County has agreed 

to such construction with the addition of certain requirements contained in an exhibit 

attached to the MOA The:- hwtmenl plant will ope,..,te much in the same way as the 

plant operated by the Town of Windsor, which is located directly ar;ross the street from 

a residential subdivision. No raw sewage will be sprayed. To do so would violate a 

host oflocal, State and Federal laws. 

4) The Tribal projects are inconsistent with lo~al zordng and land usc requirements. 

When land is taken into trust for Ttibes, local land use and zoning l~ws typically 

no longer apply. In conjunction with the County, the Tribe developed its own general 

plan and with the exception of the housing project ancl the winery and hotel location~, 

the Tribe will comply with the County's lund use and wning laws for the term of the 

MOA. 

5) Titc Tribe CiUl build whatever It wants without environmental consideration. 

'1\'hile it is true that state environmental law will not apply to the lands that are 

taken into trust by lite United States, the Tribe and County have cro:efully crofted an 

environmental review and mitigation process that requires the Tribe to mitigate any offreservation impacts of future projects. The housing project impacts have been 

addressed pursuant to Federal law (NTIPA) and a FONSI was issued in2012. 

6) The Lytton Tribe is prohibited by the Supreme Com!'s Can::ieri decision from having 

land taken into trust. 

There are several paths for Indian Tribes to take land into bust. Congress has 

plenary authority to take land into trust on behalf of Tribes and has done so on 

numerous occasions. In addition. Congress has delegated authority to the Department 

of the Interior (DOI) pursuant to ~on5 of the Indian Reorganization Act (25 US.C. § 
21 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Chair Mejia. Mr. Healy? 

STATEMENT OF HON. MIKE HEALY, COUNCILMEMBER, CITY 

OF PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA 

Mr. HEALY. Thank you, Mr. Chair and honorable members of the 

Committee. I am here today in two different roles. First, as an 

elected member of the Petaluma City Council, and currently our 

city’s vice mayor. My colleagues and I have submitted two letters 

opposing H.R. 597 which I will briefly summarize and are included 

in my full testimony. Secondly, because the opponents of the bill 

have been allocated only one witness, I will speak on behalf of the 

grassroots group, Citizens for Windsor. 


425a9.eps
22 

Petaluma has a population of 61,000 and is located on Highway 

101 in southern Sonoma County. We are 25 miles south of the town 

of Windsor, which has a population of 27,000 and is located in central Sonoma County. The lands that are the subject of H.R. 597 are 

adjacent to Windsor. 

My colleagues’ and my concerns with H.R. 597 are two-fold. 

First, the more narrowly—I am going to skip this part of it, because I believe the Chair has actually responded to this question. 

Thank you for that. 

Second, and more broadly, we are very concerned that H.R. 597 

represents another unsavory step in the reservation-shopping saga 

in the north bay, both by newly-recognized and long-established 

tribes. All nine cities in Sonoma County are surrounded by voterapproved urban growth boundaries to prevent sprawl-type development. Layered over that are voter-approved urban separators and 

county zoning that support the same policy goals. 

Cities in our region are surrounded by privately-owned ranches 

and farms outside urban growth boundaries in areas zoned for agriculture. These lands are off-limits to intense development. There 

are enormous financial incentives to find ways to develop such 

lands, especially in the Bay area. And that financial pressure will 

only intensify in the future. 

The Lytton proposal on H.R. 597 provided a blueprint for frustrated landowners and anti-zoning developers to partner with the 

tribe and override carefully designed regulations limiting sprawl 

development on lands adjoining cities throughout the region. And 

for those reasons, even with the amendments that we have requested, my city council urges a ‘‘no’’ vote on H.R. 597. 

There are other significant concerns. This land has not gone 

through the BIA’s normal fee-to-trust review process and would not 

qualify for trust status. The BIA has never approved fee-to-trust 

applications for the Lytton Rancheria. The tribe was recognized in 

1991 and the Carcieri decision holds the Federal Government cannot take land into trust for lands that were not recognized after 

1934. 

H.R. 597 is in effect a Carcieri fix and would benefit only one 

tribe. This evasion of the BIA fee-to-trust application process will 

set a bad precedent for new Indian policy in Sonoma County, California and the entire United States. 

In 2000, Representative Miller added a paragraph to the Indian 

Omnibus Bill to take nearly 10 acres of land into trust as a homeland for the Lytton so that they could operate a casino on it. That 

land is located in San Pablo in Contra Costa County. This was one 

of the few reasons that California then-Attorney General Kamala 

Harris’ office opposed land into trust in Windsor and in a 2011 letter to the BIA said, ‘‘To the extent that the Act describes those 10 

acres of land as Lytton’s reservation, this provision makes clear 

that the Lytton’s tribal location should be considered to be Contra 

Costa County, rather than Sonoma County.’’ 

In that letter, then-Attorney General Harris’ office further argues 

that the land under consideration never received a complete environmental review and should not be considered until this is done. 

The EA for the proposed housing in Windsor is almost 10 years out 

of date and covers just 124 acres. There has been no environmental 

23 

review for the entire 500 acres H.R. 597 takes to put into trust adjacent to Windsor. 

This homeland bill purports to be about housing, but the Lytton 

have plans for a large commercial project, a 200-room hotel, restaurants, shops, event center, a 200,000 case per year winery on 

land that is currently zoned agricultural. This commercial development is outlined in the 2015 memorandum of agreement that the 

Lyttons signed with the County of Sonoma, but it is not mentioned 

anywhere in the bill. The County negotiated the MOA, obligating 

it to support the Lyttons’ fee-to-trust efforts after the count mistakenly assumed that the land might be taken into trust by the BIA. 

Because this land is outside of Windsor’s open growth boundary, 

where a vote of Windsor residents is legally required to extend utilities, there are no assurances of the use of municipal water or 

sewer. There are many other irreparable environmental impacts, 

such as clear-cutting of growth of 1,500 historic oak trees. In addition, the proposed development is on narrow country roads, inaccessible to Highway 1 in an emergency. 

In 2017, the Lytton purchased from Salvation Army 564 acres of 

contiguous land adjacent to their historic rancheria at Lytton 

Springs near Highway 101. If it is determined that it is appropriate 

to help the Lytton to have a homeland in both Contra Costa and 

Sonoma counties, then this is a site that is far more appropriate 

for the proposed Lytton development, given its proximity to Highway 101, its past uses for residential and commercial purposes. It 

should be given serious consideration before any action on H.R. 

597. 

Finally, a compromise is certainly possible that would place a 

second Lytton reservation at an appropriate location. Thank you, 

Mr. Chair. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Healy follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. MIKE HEALY, COUNCILMEMBER, CITY OF PETALUMA, 

CALIFORNIA

Mr. Chairman and honorable members of the Committee. I am here today in two 

different roles. First, as an elected member of the Petaluma City Council and currently our city’s vice-mayor. My colleagues and I have submitted two letters opposing H.R. 597, which I will briefly summarize.1A1, 2 And secondly, because opponents 

of the bill have been allocated one witness, I also will speak on behalf of the grassroots group, Citizens for Windsor. Mr. Chairman, 

Petaluma has a population of 61,000 and is located on U.S. Highway 101 in southern Sonoma County. Petaluma is 25 miles south of the Town of Windsor, which has 

a population of 27,000 and is located in central Sonoma County. The lands that are 

the subject of H.R. 597 are adjacent to Windsor. 

My colleagues’ and my concerns with H.R. 597 are two-fold. First and more narrowly, Section 5 of H.R. 597 paints a bull’s eye on my city by offering only a 20- 

year prohibition on gaming on additional lands taken into trust for the Lytton in 

southern Sonoma County. Petaluma is the most logical place for a new casino in 

Sonoma County. My colleagues and I have offered specific statutory language to fix 

this serious problem. 

Second and more importantly, we are very concerned that H.R. 597 represents another unsavory step in the reservation-shopping saga in the North Bay, by both 

newly recognized and long-established tribes. All nine incorporated cities and towns 

in Sonoma County are surrounded by voter-approved Urban Growth Boundaries 

(UGB) to prevent sprawl-type development. Layered over that are voterapproved 

community separators and county zoning that support the same policy goals. Voters 

in each of Sonoma County’s nine incorporated communities have approved UGBs, 

drawing distinct lines where communities can and cannot grow. For example, in NoVerDate Mar 15 2010 13:05 Jun 25, 2018 Jkt 030361 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\DOCS\30361.TXT JACK
24 

vember, 2017, Windsor voted to renew their UGB for another 25 years with over 

70 percent approval. 

Cities in our region are surrounded by privately owned ranches and farms outside 

Urban Growth Boundaries in areas zoned for agriculture. These lands are off limits 

to intense development. There are enormous financial incentives to find ways to develop such lands, especially in the Bay Area, and that financial pressure will only 

intensify in the future. The Lytton proposal and H.R. 597 provide a blueprint for 

frustrated landowners and anti-zoning developers to partner with a tribe and override carefully designed regulations limiting sprawl development on lands adjoining 

cities throughout the region. Denise Athas, current Novato City Council member, 

also recognized this. 3 For those reasons, even with amendment to Section 5, The 

City Council of Petaluma urges a ‘‘no’’ vote on H.R. 597. 

There are other significant concerns with H.R. 597. This land has not gone 

through the normal review process for fee-to-trust land with the Bureau of Indian 

Affairs, and does not qualify for trust status.4, 5, 6, 7 The BIA has never approved any 

fee-to-trust application for Lytton Rancheria. 

In 1927 the U.S. Department of Interior Office of Indian Affairs purchased 50 

acres at Lytton Springs, north of Healdsburg, in Sonoma County for ‘‘homeless California Indians.’’ In 1937, Bert Steele, a 1⁄4 blood Indian from Round Valley, with his 

wife Mary, a Sonoma County Pomo, and their children, requested permission to occupy a portion of the land. They were permitted to build a house there. In 1938, 

the brother of Mary Steele, John Myers and his wife Dolores, also requested permission to occupy a part of the Lytton parcel. They were permitted to build a house 

there. 

In the 1950s the family members petitioned their Congressman to receive titles 

to the parcels and supported the passage of a bill that would terminate the 

Rancheria and enable them to secure a deed to their property. Following the passage of the Rancheria Distribution Act in 1958, the Rancheria was dissolved in 

1961, and the property was divided into eight parcels, which were distributed to 

eight family members. Following this, all eight parcels were sold by the distributees 

to non-Indians. 

In 1986, lawyers for the Scott’s Valley Band of Pomo Indians of the Sugar Bowl 

Rancheria filed suit in federal district court saying termination of their rancheria 

in 1961 was illegal. In 1987, the ‘‘Lytton Indian Community’’ joined the Sugar Bowl 

Rancheria lawsuit. 

In 1991, without a jury trial and negotiated in closed session, a consent agreement was reached between the plaintiffs, the U.S. Department of Justice and 

Sonoma County Counsel. The settlement stipulated that the Lytton Community 

would be listed as a tribe in the federal register. 8

The Supreme Court’s decision in Carcieri v. Salazar holds that the federal government cannot take land into trust for tribes that were recognized after 1934, which 

includes the Lytton. H.R. 597 is in effect a ‘‘Carcieri fix,’’ which will benefit only 

one tribe. This evasion of the BIA fee-to-trust application process will set a bad 

precedent for new Indian policy in Sonoma County, California, and the entire 

United States. 

In 1998 a group of investors bought a former card room in San Pablo on nearly 

10 acres for the Lytton. In 1999, the Lytton, backed by their investors, applied to 

have the 10 acres, in the heavily urbanized East Bay, put into trust for them. The 

BIA told them this land would not qualify for an exception to the rule that lands 

acquired after 1988 cannot be used for gaming. 

In 2000, Congressman George Miller added a paragraph into the Indian Omnibus 

bill directing the Secretary of the Interior to take the land with the cardroom in 

San Pablo, Contra Costa County, into trust as a reservation for the Lytton, and to 

backdate the acquisition to 1988, so that they could operate a casino on it. 

Lytton investors, known as Sonoma Entertainment Partners LP, also purchased 

50 acres of land west of Windsor in Sonoma County in 2002, which they promised 

to give the Lytton once the San Pablo site became a casino. 9 In 2007 following the 

opening of the casino in San Pablo, they gave the tribe the 50 acres. Lytton 

Rancheria purchased additional land with funds from their San Pablo casino. In 

2009, they submitted a fee-to-trust application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to 

develop a housing project, which did not conform with local land use zoning. 10 A 

draft environmental assessment on 92 acres was released in 2009 for public comments. 11 After the public comment period, when an amended fee-to-trust application was submitted, an additional 32 acres was added in the final environmental 

assessment in 2011.12, 13

In response to the Environmental Assessment of Lytton Rancheria’s newly acquired Windsor lands, Attorney General Kamala Harris’ office had considerable concerns.14 Her office stated in a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, ‘‘. . .to the exVerDate Mar 15 2010 13:05 Jun 25, 2018 Jkt 030361 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\DOCS\30361.TXT JACK
25 

tent that act [Omnibus Indian Advancement Act of 2000] describes those 10 acres 

of land [San Pablo] as Lytton’s ‘reservation,’ this provision makes clear that Lytton’s 

tribal location should be considered to be Contra Costa County rather than Sonoma 

County. . .’’ 

The Attorney General’s office also argued in that letter that the land under consideration never received a complete environmental review and should not be considered until this is done. Her office noted, ‘‘The final Environmental Assessment 

(EA) includes 32 additional acres that were neither included in the Tribe’s application nor evaluated in the draft EA.’’ And, ‘‘The draft EA contained no assessment 

whatsoever of the environmental impacts arising from the acquisition of the 32 

acres or from the placement of project features on them.’’ One aspect of the proposed 

project revealed for the first time in the current Final EA is the construction of a 

large effluent retention basin on a portion of the additional 32 acres immediately 

adjacent to an existing housing subdivision. Her office noted that the inclusion of 

the 32 acres in the final EA constituted a shortening of the environmental review 

process, which ‘‘deprives the public of the opportunity to comment on that portion 

of the proposed acquisition with the prospect of any response and modification by 

the Tribe.’’ In addition, the AG’s office noted that Proposed Alternative ‘‘A’’—wherein the tribe’s housing units would be served by City of Windsor water and sewage 

treatment facilities—is precluded by a voter initiative limiting the boundaries of 

that area. ‘‘Alternative A is therefore illusory.’’ 

The Attorney General’s office noted that the National Environmental Policy Act 

of 1969 (NEPA) requires the preparation of an environmental impact statement 

(EIS) for major federal actions significantly affecting the human environment. Agencies are required to make diligent efforts to involve the public in preparing and implementing their NEPA procedures. In light of this 35 percent increase in acreage, 

and ‘‘in a diligent effort to involve the public in the decisionmaking process,’’ the 

AG’s office recommended the tribe be required ‘‘to produce a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) concerning this large project adjacent to the Town of Windsor.’’ 

In his 2009 letter to the BIA at the time of the Environmental Assessment, Paul 

Kelley, then-Chairman of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors agreed with the 

Attorney General’s office that the EA was insufficient.15 He wrote, in a letter to 

Dale Morris at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, ‘‘the project is substantial in size, scope 

and affected resources. The project is inconsistent with the general plans and land 

use regulations of both the County and the Town of Windsor, and may have additional significant effects on [the] oak woodland and other biological resources, 

groundwater supplies, regional water quality, air quality, and climate, noise, traffic, 

and aesthetics.’’ Supervisor Kelley noted that ‘‘. . .the County’s fundamental interest is full and fair disclosure of all adverse environmental impacts proposed in the 

County—before final action is taken. Meeting that interest here and complying with 

the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), requires preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) rather than an EA.’’ Kelley also asserted that an 

EIS is necessary to correct the EA’s misstatements, ‘‘Without an EIS that provides 

correct information, neither the BIA nor the public can make a proper informed 

evaluation of the proposed project.’’ 

This ‘‘homeland’’ bill purports to be about housing, but the Lytton have plans for 

a large commercial development—a 200-room hotel, restaurants, shops, event center, 200,000-case-per-year winery—on land that’s currently zoned agriculture and 

rural. The proposed project does not conform with local land use zoning. This commercial development is outlined in a 2015 Memorandum of Agreement the Lytton 

signed with the County of Sonoma, but it is not mentioned anywhere in this bill.16

The County negotiated its MoA with Lytton—with no public input—obligating the 

County to support Lytton’s fee-totrust efforts, after the County mistakenly assumed 

that the land might be taken into trust by the Department of the Interior. 

Although ultimately in 2012 the Final EA of the 124 acres received a Finding of 

No Significant Impact (FONSI), 17 there has been no EA (nor EIS) of the entire 

511∂ acres the Lytton propose to take into trust through H.R. 597, including the 

large commercial project referenced in the County’s MoA. The existing EA for the 

proposed housing in Windsor is almost 10 years out of date and it covers just 124 

acres of the 511∂ acres in this bill. In its MoA with Lytton Rancheria, the County 

proposes a separate EIS on the winery/resort project; however, to determine the full 

impact on the region, and enable proper public input, it is necessary to complete 

an EIS on the entire Lytton acreage referred to in H.R. 597, including all proposed 

projects. Completing an EA or EIS as separate, piecemeal projects, does not adequately demonstrate the full environmental impact of the projects on the region, including the Town of Windsor. 

26 

* The information referred to has been retained in the Committee files. 

And, because this land is outside of Windsor’s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), 

there is no assurance of receiving environmentally responsible municipal water or 

sewer. A majority vote of the Town of Windsor residents is required to extend the 

Town of Windsor’s water & sewage services to this—and any—property outside of 

the Town’s UGB. There would be many other irreparable environmental impacts, for 

example, clear-cutting a grove of 1,500 historic oak trees. In addition, the proposed 

commercial developments outside of Windsor are on narrow country roads inaccessible to Highway 101. This is a key consideration in times of emergency—such as 

the devastating fires the County experienced in October, 2017. 

The Town of Windsor has recognized these significant concerns with two resolutions in 2002 and 2009 ‘‘Opposing Reduction of Health, Safety and Zoning Standards 

by Development on Land Adjacent to the Urban Growth Boundary by the Lytton 

Band of Pomo Indians.’’ 18

In 2017, the Lytton purchased from Salvation Army 564 acres of contiguous land 

adjacent to their historic rancheria at Lytton Springs, and to Highway 101. 19 If it 

is determined that it is appropriate for the Lytton to have a reservation in both 

Contra Costa County and Sonoma County, then this site is a far more appropriate 

location for the proposed Lytton development, given its proximity to Highway 101, 

and its previous uses for both residential and commercial purposes. The Lytton 

Springs property should be given serious consideration before any action is taken 

on H.R. 597. 

Supporting Documents * 

1. Petaluma City Council to Senators Feinstein and Harris, Sept. 18, 2017 

2. Petaluma City Council to Senators Feinstein and Harris, November 6, 2017 

3. Athas to Senators Feinstein and Harris, March 13, 2018 

4. Office of the Governor to BIA, Oct. 8, 2009 

5. Lytton Historical Documents from the National Archives, 1927–1953 

6. Mitchell to BIA, Dec. 20, 2016 

7. History of Lytton Rancheria by Mike Bojanowski, 1990 

8. Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians of the Sugar Bowl Rancheria, et al. Plaintiffs, v. United States of America, et al., Defendants, Stipulation for Entry of Judgment (Lytton), 1991 

9. ‘‘Pomos Homes on Hold,’’ by Sam Kennedy, The Press Democrat, August 4, 2002 

10. Fee to Trust Application for Lytton Rancheria, 2009 

11. Lytton Draft Environmental Assessment, 2009, http:// 

www.lyttonhousingea.com 

12. Amended Fee to Trust Application for Lytton Rancheria, 2011 

13. Lytton Final Environmental Assessment, 2011, http:// 

www.lyttonhousingea.com 

14. Office of the Attorney General Kamala Harris to Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

2011 

15. Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Chairman Paul Kelley Letter and EA 

Comments, October 8, 2009 

16. County of Sonoma Memorandum of Agreement with Lytton Rancheria, 2015 

17. FONSI, http://www.lyttonhousingea.com 

18. Windsor Town Council, Resolutions No. 1300–02 and No. 2458–09 

19. Map, Town of Windsor, San Pablo, Lytton Springs 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Healy. Mr. Krauch? 

STATEMENT OF WILLIAM ‘‘BILL’’ KRAUCH, CHAIR, SANTA YNEZ 

VALLEY COALITION 

Mr. KRAUCH. Thank you, Chairman Hoeven and Vice Chairman 

Udall, for holding this hearing today, and for the opportunity to 

testify on H.R. 1491. 

We strongly oppose this bill because of its significant adverse effects to the community in the Santa Ynez Valley. I also want to especially thank Senators Feinstein and Harris for ensuring this legislation receives careful examination and thoughtful consideration. 

While this is a California-specific issue, all Committee members 

need to be made aware of how the abuse of the Federal fee-to-trust 

27 

process would be endorsed by this bill and could also increasingly 

affect communities in your own home States. 

I am Bill Krauch, Chair of the Santa Ynez Valley Coalition and 

resident of the valley for 36 years. The coalition is a local citizens 

group whose members have worked for years to preserve the undeveloped and agriculture areas in the Santa Ynez valleys. The property addressed by the bill at Camp 4 and its uses have been the 

subject of much discussion over the years. It is 1,400 acres of farmland and open space that is the gateway to the Santa Ynez Valley. 

In 2010, the tribe purchased Camp 4 from the heirs of former TV star Fess Parker for $44 million. Parker had unsuccessfully tried 

to develop Camp 4 into a million-square foot resort by himself and 

in partnership with the tribe. All were rejected as an affront to the 

county’s land use plan and the result that would destroy the character of our valley. 

Shortly after the Chumash acquisition, the tribe commenced efforts to have the Federal Government take the land into trust on 

their behalf. After an inadequate analysis, the BIA approved this 

request, as they have every other fee-to-trust request in the western region. Santa Barbara County, other local organizations and individuals legally challenged the BIA’s actions. However, our administrative appeal rights to challenge this, what we believe to be an 

illegal fee-to-trust decision, were taken from us in the waning 

hours of the Obama Administration when the BIA approved the 

Chumash fee-to-trust. The application notwithstanding, there was 

strong local opposition without a sufficient record to make a final 

decision. 

The coalition has now gone to Federal court to challenge the 

BIA’s approval of fee-to-trust for Camp 4, which brings us to the 

bill you are hearing testimony on today. We strongly believe that 

absent significant changes, the Committee should reject this bill. It 

is the product of a badly-flawed negotiating process between the 

tribe and Santa Barbara County, where the board of supervisors 

was effectively bullied into signing a weak, fiscally irresponsible 

memorandum of agreement. As was repeatedly disclosed by the 

board of supervisor chair, house congressional leaders effectively 

demanded that the county sign an agreement with the tribe, or 

they would enact 1491 with few restrictions on the tribe’s use of 

Camp 4. 

Specifically, we think the following changes are needed to resolve 

issues associated with the development of Camp 4. First, we must 

address the tribe’s housing and community facility needs, but not 

on Camp 4. The tribe owns property better suited to safely accommodate these interests with much-reduced impact on the existing 

community. 

Second, extend the length of the agreement. The MOA expires in 

2040, approximately 22 years from today. Third, protect Santa 

Ynez’s water. We are very concerned about what water rights are 

conveyed to the tribe from this legislation, and that this issue must 

be clarified in H.R. 1491 to avoid substantial litigation in the future. 

Fourth, allow citizen suits to enforce the MOA. Santa Barbara 

County is the only part that can enforce the MOA’s terms on behalf 

of the county’s citizens. Given the county’s lack of leverage, as eviVerDate Mar 15 2010 13:05 Jun 25, 2018 Jkt 030361 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 S:\DOCS\30361.TXT JACK
28 

denced in the Chumash negotiations, we only seek this request to 

ensure that the obligations regarding Camp 4 are enforced. 

Finally, prevent a gaming bait and switch. While H.R. 1491 permanently prohibits gaming on Camp 4, it does not prevent expansion of gaming by the Chumash. When the new homes are built on 

Camp 4, the homes on the existing reservation could be razed, and 

that land could be used to build a second casino or significantly expand the existing one. 

In closing, rather than legislate outcomes on individual land disputes like this one, the Committee should instead act to reform the 

fee-to-trust process, as the Senate came close to doing in the last 

Congress. Thank you for the opportunity to share our views. We 

understand and recognize that the Chumash are our neighbors, 

and we are committed to helping them address their housing 

needs. All we are asking is the same thing that is asked of every 

non-tribal resident in the valley, to help us conserve its character 

and resources for all future generations. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Krauch follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF WILLIAM ‘‘BILL’’ KRAUCH, CHAIR, SANTA YNEZ VALLEY

COALITION

Introduction & Overview 

Thank you Chairman Hoeven and Vice Chairman Udall for holding this hearing 

today and providing us the opportunity to testify on H.R. 1491, a bill we strongly 

oppose because of its significant adverse effects to the community in the Santa Ynez 

Valley of California. I also want to especially thank our Senators, Senator Feinstein 

and Senator Harris, for their commitment to ensuring that this legislation receives 

close examination and thoughtful consideration. While this is a California-specific 

measure, all Committee members need to understand that this legislation’s endorsement of an abuse of the fee-to-trust process could very well set a national precedent 

and lead to an avalanche of similar requests for Congress to intervene in fee-to-trust 

requests in Members’ home states. 

I am Bill Krauch, the Chair of the Santa Ynez Valley Coalition and a resident 

of the valley for the past 36 years. The Santa Ynez Valley Coalition is a local citizen’s advocacy group whose members have worked for years to preserve the undeveloped and agricultural areas around Santa Ynez from over-development. The mission of the Coalition is to ensure that Santa Ynez Valley residents have a strong 

voice in land use decisions affecting our water, environment, public safety, and economy. Our education and outreach efforts focus on the need to maintain local control 

of land use in our community, a principal at grave risk if H.R. 1491 is enacted. 

Our members—many lifelong neighbors and friends of the Chumash—are strongly 

supportive of the Tribe’s efforts to better address their housing and community facility needs. However, whatever steps that are taken should be done in a manner consistent with existing local land-use planning guidance and regulations which every 

other property owner in the County must comply. Numerous Administrations have 

been before this Committee in recent years to implore action to reform the fee-totrust process to protect the jurisdiction rights of local communities, and we join 

them in that call. Congress is ill equipped to insert itself as zoning commissioners 

in communities with tribal interests. 

Background & History 

To better understand our concerns about the impacts of H.R. 1491, some context 

is in order regarding the land which would be placed in trust for the Chumash, and 

how it may be developed in a way inconsistent with the community’s wishes. The 

Santa Ynez Valley—located in central Santa Barbara County between the Santa 

Ynez and San Rafael Mountains—has a population of just over 20,000 with its small 

towns linked by rural roads weaving through fertile farmlands, ranches, and open 

space. The Los Padres National Forest, home to the condors, overlooks this Valley, 

as does President Reagan’s beloved Rancho Cielo. The local economy in the Valley 

29 

1Santa Ynez Valley Community Plan, October 2009—http://longrange.sbcountyplanning.org/ 

planareas/santaynez/syvlcp.php 2Detailed Camp 4 history—http://syvcoalition.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Camp-4- 

Timeline.pdf 

revolves around agriculture and tourism and its land use plan restricts building 

heights and prohibits commercial box stores and fast food restaurants. 1

One-mile northeast of the Town of Santa Ynez lies Camp 4, a 1,400-acre parcel 

of open space and agricultural land—the land that the Tribe wishes to put into trust 

via H.R. 1491. As you cross through the San Marcos pass in the Santa Ynez Mountains on Highway 154, Camp 4 is the gateway to the Santa Ynez Valley. It features 

the largest aquifer in the area as well as supporting wildlife and plant species that 

are important to conserve, with its variety of habitats including grasslands, oak savannas, and riparian. In fact, much of the Camp 4 parcel is presently covered by 

‘‘Williamson Act Agreements’’ which are stateenforced contracts entered into with 

local landowners to keep land in agricultural use or to conserve it as open spaces. 

It is presently zoned as such to allow a density of only one house per 100 acres. 

In 1998, Camp 4 was purchased by a private landowner, the former TV star Fess 

Parker, and he sought to up-zone the property to increase development density so 

that he could build a large resort and additional residential units. He was denied 

that rezoning repeatedly by Santa Barbara County, who believed that such a use 

was highly inconsistent with the local, lightly travelled roads and surrounding agricultural lands. In 2004, Parker and the Chumash jointly announced a plan to place 

Camp 4 into ‘‘trust’’ and make it part of the reservation to circumvent these local 

land use restrictions. If successful, this scheme would have allowed Parker’s vision 

of massive development on Camp 4 to become a reality. However, after this announcement the proposed partnership was never finalized. In 2010, the Tribe purchased Camp 4 from Parker’s heirs for $44 million and 

shortly after that, commenced efforts to have the federal government take the land 

into trust on their behalf. In June 2013, the Pacific Regional Director of the Bureau 

of Indian Affairs (BIA) approved the Tribe’s application for a Tribal Consolidation 

Area (TCA) covering 11,500 acres within which the 1,400-acre Camp 4 parcel is located. If enacted, this TCA would have significantly reduced the standard of review 

of the Tribe’s development plans for Camp 4 and all lands within the TCA. Later 

that year, faced with appeals and public protests, the Tribe withdrew its application 

for the TCA which the BIA dismissed without prejudice. However, the BIA nonetheless then improperly and illegally used these reduced standards to analyze the 

Chumash’s fee-to-trust application for Camp 4. As a result, Santa Barbara County, 

members of the Santa Ynez Valley Coalition, and other local organizations and individuals all legally challenged the BIA’s actions in this regard. 

While the County and community were still in the process of exercising our rights 

to appeal the BIA’s actions, our right to appeal was unceremoniously stolen from 

us in the waning hours of the Obama Administration in the dark of night. The BIA 

approved the Chumash fee-to-trust application notwithstanding the strong local opposition and without a sufficient record to make a final decision. In doing so, the 

BIA denied due process for the non-Indian communities and residents adversely impacted by potentially unregulated land use on an expanded Chumash reservation. 

This action vitiated pending administrative appeals of affected communities, organizations and residents who were following the current laws to have their point of 

view heard. Despite this action, the current Administration is still reviewing the 

matter and has refused to publish a final decision in the Federal Register, which 

is one reason why the Chumash are here asking the Congress to over-ride the process the Congress itself put in place to adjudicate such matters. 

The Coalition is now supporting litigation in federal court challenging the BIA’s 

approval of the Chumash’s Camp 4 fee-to-trust application. The suit asserts that the 

Department of Interior’s decision to take this action was based on an insufficient 

analysis of its environmental and other impacts as required by the federal law. If 

this suit prevails in Court, the decision to take Camp 4 into Trust will be reversed, 

and the federal government will be required to undertake a more thorough analysis 

of the impacts of this action. 2 H.R. 1491 would also dismiss these appeals, further 

disenfranchising the citizens of the valley. 

Reasons to Reject H.R. 1491 

We strongly believe that absent significant changes, the Committee should not 

support this bill. It is a product of a badly flawed negotiating process between the 

Tribe and Santa Barbara County where the Board of Supervisors was effectively 

bullied into signing a weak, fiscally irresponsible memorandum of agreement (MOA) 

whose limited restrictions sunset in just over two decades. 

30 

The Committee will no doubt hear much about this MOA between the County and 

the Chumash from the bill’s proponents. They will assert that its mere existence 

should justify the Senate passing this bill with no changes. Do not be fooled by 

these claims. This agreement is lopsided and short-term, and likely sets in motion 

an eventual overdevelopment of Camp 4 in a manner that Fess Parker proposed two 

decades ago. 

The Committee should carefully examine the back-story about this agreement and 

the evolution of the County’s position so it can judge for itself whether it represents 

a meaningful agreement between the County and the Chumash. 

Before last year, Santa Barbara County was a staunch opponent of both the redevelopment of this land at all, and the Camp 4 fee-to-trust application. In fact, the 

County was so strongly opposed it testified in opposition to similar legislation in the 

previous Congress and filed both administrative and judicial challenges against the 

BIA Camp 4 fee-to-trust decision. However, in the fall of last year, all of that 

changed. 

As the Chair of the Board repeatedly stated during several public meetings in 

2017, House Congressional leaders effectively demanded that the County sign an 

agreement with the Tribe or they would enact H.R. 1491 with few restrictions on 

the Tribe’s use of Camp 4. Hence, the County was forced to accept a deal of far too 

limited duration, with anemic payments for utilities and other infrastructure related 

to Camp 4 that is a fraction of their actual cost and which would in no way replace 

the lost tax revenue from the parcel being placed into trust. 

These were NOT good faith negotiations—evidenced by the fact that the MOA 

now requires the County to only advocate for a version of H.R. 1491 that includes 

the MOA—a gag order that shows how lopsided this framework is. This condition 

alone shows why our Coalition must now speak for the vast majority of the Valley’s 

residents who oppose the MOA as now crafted and who vigorously oppose this bill 

in its current form. 

While the MOA does limit the development on Camp 4 through 2039 to 143 

houses on one-acre improved lots and a community center, and even permanently 

bans gaming on Camp 4, it does not address the broader fee-to-trust problem in the 

Santa Ynez Valley nor does it address the expansion of gaming in the rest of the 

Valley. 

Proposed H.R. 1491 Fixes to Address Community Concerns 

The leaders of the Santa Ynez Valley Coalition have spent thousands of hours 

studying the MOA and speaking to our neighbors in the Valley about their views 

on its contents. From those conversations, we see a handful of issues that are insufficiently addressed in the MOA and H.R. 1491 that show how flawed they really are 

and which must be corrected to resolve the development of Camp 4 in a way that 

the community and the Tribe can live in relative harmony. 

1. Address the Tribe’s Housing & Community Facility Needs—But Not on Camp 4 

The Tribe has legitimate needs for housing and community facilities, but they are 

best addressed on smaller, but more than adequate parcels of land better suited to 

safely accommodate these needs. After filing for fee-to-trust status for Camp 4, the 

Chumash purchased approximately 369 acres near Camp 4 that is a superior alternative because: 

• It satisfies the stated needs of the Tribe for 143 homes on one acre improved 

lots and a 30 acre tribal center which would consume about 200 acres of the 

parcel, virtually separated only by a 2 lane roadway; 

• It is physically closer to the existing reservation; 

• It is adjacent to existing town infrastructure and would be an extension of existing residential development areas versus ‘‘leapfrogging’’ to Camp 4; 

• It is located so that the County would probably grant zoning thereby avoiding 

the fee-to-trust process on that parcel altogether; 

• It lowers building cost to the Tribe versus a development spread out over 1,400 

acres; and 

• It is bounded by two major highways, versus two rural roads adjacent to Camp 

4, thereby providing superior ingress and egress. 

We would respectfully request that the Committee and tribe consider these other, 

more suitable options closer to town for the tribal housing and community facility 

needs that would prevent fracturing the undeveloped 1,400 acres of Camp 4. 

31 

2. Extend the Length of the Agreement 

As currently configured, the restrictions contained in the Tribe/County MOA will 

expire in 2040, approximately 22-years from today—even though most homeowners 

secure 30-year mortgages. Presumably, the Tribe is then allowed to do anything it 

wants on Camp 4 except gaming, including building a massive additional amount 

of commercial and residential development, as it proposed in a public meeting in 

March 2016—a plan very similar to that first proposed by Fess Parker. 

As such, the Coalition strongly recommends any action on H.R. 1491 include a 

provision that continues the use restrictions for Camp 4 contained in the MOA beyond 2040 until subsequently changed by a future Congress. If the Tribe says its 

intention for Camp 4 is only 143 houses on one-acre improved lots and a tribal center, we should take the Tribe at its word and make that use permanent. Stability 

of local land use values and preservation of the Valley’s fundamental character and 

quality of life are only protected with a far longer term of land use restriction than 

the current 2040 date. 

3. Insufficient Protection of the Valley’s Water Supply 

We are very concerned that the agreement is unclear about what water rights are 

conveyed to the Tribe from this legislation and that this issue must be clarified if 

H.R. 1491 is to help avoid substantial litigation over these rights in the future. 

Camp 4 sits on the Valley’s major aquifer. The Valley has suffered from severe 

drought for a number of years as attested to by devastating wildfires earlier this 

year and has as a result imposed water use restrictions on residents. 

The Tribe’s current hotel and casino facilities nearby are already the largest users 

of local water in the Town of Santa Ynez and H.R. 1491 does not limit water use 

to that which would support the 143 homes on one-acre improved lots and tribal 

center or prohibit the export of water to other Tribal-held lands. While the NonIntercourse Act limits off reservation water marketing unless approved by the Department of Interior, the reserved water rights or Winters doctrine is less clear in 

what uses a Tribe can exercise so long as the water supports ‘‘the purpose of the 

reservation.’’ Agricultural use is presumed under Winters, but other uses such as 

commercial, domestic and municipal activities are generally permitted here too. 

Suffice it to say that the precedent setting framework embodied in H.R. 1491 

must be clarified to guarantee that ranchers and farmers and other homeowners in 

the Santa Ynez Valley have access to this precious commodity to maintain their 

livelihood. The legislation must clarify these rights and prevent a compromised position for the thousands of local residents who will not live on the Camp 4 parcel. 

4. Third Party Enforcement of the MOA 

Under the Chumash-County MOA, and the terms of H.R. 1491, Santa Barbara 

County is the only party that can enforce its terms on behalf of the County’s citizens. Inspections to determine compliance are to be done by third parties hired and 

paid by the Chumash, a mechanism fraught with potential conflicts of interest. The 

County’s severe financial position—well documented by the Board of Supervisors in 

virtually every public meeting they hold—makes it unlikely they will spend scarce 

resources on legal help to compel the Tribe’s adherence to the terms of the MOA 

or any subsequent restrictions. Given this fact and the County’s weak negotiating 

posture over the last year, the Coalition believes H.R. 1491—if it advances—must 

be altered to allow third party enforcement of the County’s obligations to enforce 

the agreement. We do not seek with this request to interfere with the terms of the 

County’s agreement with the Tribe, only to make sure that the Tribe lives up to 

its obligations to ensure the restrictions on Camp 4 are enforced. 

5. Prevent a Gaming ‘‘Bait and Switch’’ 

While H.R. 1491 permanently prohibits gaming on Camp 4, it does not prevent 

expansion of gaming by the Chumash. We believe that the bill should prohibit a 

‘‘bait and switch’’ where existing houses are demolished on the present reservation 

after homes are built on Camp 4 or elsewhere, and that land is then used to build 

a second casino or significantly expand the existing one. H.R. 1491 has been widely 

advertised by its proponents as having absolutely nothing to do with gaming. Unfortunately, the bill as drafted could lead to a dramatic expansion of this activity despite the fact that the Valley already struggles with the crime, drug trafficking, public health challenges, traffic congestion and other public safety issues associated 

with the current gaming facility. 

What’s Really Needed—Fixing the Broken Fee-to-Trust Process 

No one has to remind this Committee that there are serious problems with the 

existing fee-to-trust program as authorized by the Indian Reorganization Act. This 

program is in pressing need of reform, according to the testimony before this ComVerDate Mar 15 2010 13:05 Jun 25, 2018 Jkt 030361 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\DOCS\30361.TXT JACK
32 

3Waples, Kelsey. ‘‘Extreme Rubber-Stamping: The Fee to Trust Process of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.’’ Pepperdine Law Review, 2012, 101–53. http://syvcoalition.com/ 

wpcontent/uploads/2018/04/Pepperdine-Law-Review-Waples-Apr12.pdf. 

mittee by numerous recent Administrations. Bills have been introduced, and hearings held. The current Administration has stated to you recently that it is presently 

debating recommendations to reform the process. 

In our own back yard, the Western Regional Office of the BIA approved every feetotrust application from 2001 through 2011—acting as little more than a rubber 

stamp for California Tribes and in the process and ignoring the legitimate concerns 

of local communities. 3 We believe strongly that the process must be transformed to 

ensure a balance between tribal and neighboring community interests—to avoid 

frivolous obstructive tactics but simultaneously guarantee that fee-to-trust applicants abide by rules that protect our natural resources like water and avoid leaving 

local taxpayers to foot the bills for traffic congestion and other public infrastructure. 

We believe strongly that the Camp 4 trust acquisition is an abuse of the fee-to-trust 

process and that if a more neutral analysis were undertaken of it, other more suitable options would be identified that would enable the tribe to address its housing 

and community facility needs with much-reduced impacts to the surrounding community and environment. 

Abuses of the fee-to-trust program such as what is occurring in the Santa Ynez 

Valley hurt the program for ALL tribes that have legitimate needs to increase the 

land base of their respective reservations. We believe that further consideration of 

H.R. 1491 should be suspended until fee-to-trust reforms are considered by Congress 

and the Administration. 

Conclusion 

In closing, thank you for the opportunity to share our views. As we stated at the 

outset, enactment of H.R. 1491 in its current form represents a dangerous erosion 

of the ability of local governments to engage in meaningful land planning, the consequences of which will spread far beyond the Santa Ynez Valley. Additionally, we 

understand and recognize that the Chumash are our neighbors, and we are committed to helping them address their housing needs. All we are asking is the same 

thing that is asked of every nontribal resident in the Valley, to help us conserve 

its character and resources for all future generations. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Krauch. 

Mr. LaCounte, how do we incentivize local, non-tribal governments to work with tribes on these types of trust applications? In 

other words, what can you do to bring the parties together? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. We certainly will encourage tribes to enter into 

MOAs with local governments. We strongly advise it throughout 

the process, from start to finish. It always works better when there 

is a clear communication line and there is clear land use plans in 

place. 

The CHAIRMAN. Do you have recommendations in this case? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. I believe that this case, these cases, they have 

done an adequate job, the tribes have. And I think they have 

reached out to the local governments and entered into agreements 

with them. I was very happy when I read the briefing on this that 

they had done that. 

The CHAIRMAN. For the Chumash land referred to as Camp 4 in 

H.R. 1491, it has already been taken into trust by the Department 

of Interior. As you know, the bill would essentially reaffirm the 

Secretary’s decision to take Camp 4 into trust for the benefit of the 

tribe. 

Unlike the memorandum of agreement for the Lytton trust acquisition, under H.R. 597, the Secretary himself has approved the 

memorandum of agreement pursuant to Section 2103 of the revised 

statutes. What is the purpose of having the memorandum of agreement approved by the Department of Interior? 

33 

Mr. LACOUNTE. My understanding is that the regional director at 

that time and the region folks from the Bureau of Indian Affairs 

took it to our solicitor’s department, our legal people, and they 

made a determination in Santa Ynez that that particular one needed to be approved under 25 U.S.C. Section 81. It was purely advice 

we received from our attorneys. 

The CHAIRMAN. So was that request, this is not a standard practice or requirement for taking land into trust? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. It is not. 

The CHAIRMAN. Or should it be? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. Tribal governments are sovereign nations within 

this Nation. They should be able to negotiate with other governments within this Nation without our interference. We feel that 

perhaps it might infringe upon tribal sovereignty. 

The CHAIRMAN. Chairman Mejia, during a recent staff visit to 

the area where you seek to move land into trust, it was apparent 

that your neighbors utilize a high level of water for the nearby 

wineries. It is my understanding that the surrounding businesses 

have all agreed to follow the county’s general use water agreement. 

Does the Lytton Band intend to follow the Sonoma County general 

use plan as it pertains to water usage? 

Ms. MEJIA. We have dealt with the county, we are willing to 

work with our neighbors and the county to ensure that any use or 

increases, if any, are mitigated. The tribe uses water on the property currently, as it owns the land in fee, and plans to use the 

same amount or less water on the property in the future. 

The CHAIRMAN. And you have already indicated that you agree 

to forego all gaming on the land parcels that are being moved into 

trust? 

Ms. MEJIA. Yes, sir. 

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Udall. 

Senator UDALL. Mr. LaCounte observed in his testimony that 

certainty of title is pivotal to the tribe’s ability to provide essential 

government services to its citizens, such as housing, education, 

health care, and promote tribal economies. Can you both explain 

how passing this legislation, I am asking the chairman and chairwoman, can you both explain how passing this legislation would 

provide your tribes the certainty Mr. LaCounte described? Chairman Khan, why don’t you start out? 

Mr. KHAN. Mr. Vice Chairman, self-determination is vital in Indian Country. Federal programs and services that are available on 

Federal lands are imperative to success of tribal governments. Enhancing our housing opportunities is really a continued opportunity 

for us to thrive culturally, through our customs and our traditions. 

It is our perspective, if we didn’t have the ability to have trust 

lands, that we would probably be extinct today. So it is about cultural survivability for the future. 

Senator UDALL. Chairwoman Mejia? 

Ms. MEJIA. It is vital for Lytton Rancheria to establish a land 

base for our homeland as we have been promised. Our tribe was 

subject to a wrongful termination which forced us to live apart 

from our community. It is our way of life as Indian people to live 

as a community and to provide governmental services to our people. 

34 

Senator UDALL. Thank you very much for that answer. 

I also understand a number of tribal officials from both of these 

tribes have traveled here a long way from California, so welcome 

to all the tribal officials who are here in the audience. I think also 

a county supervisor from Sonoma County is also present today. So 

thank you for coming to the hearing. 

As I noted in my opening, I am concerned with the department’s 

proposed revisions to the land-into-trust process. As NCAI, the National Congress for American Indians, observed, off-reservation acquisitions are vital for Indian tribes. Some tribes are landless. Others have only small, diminished land bases. For an Administration 

supposedly focused on streamlining, it strikes me as odd that the 

department is looking at regulations that will make the process 

more difficult, more time-consuming and more costly, all at Indian 

Country’s expense. 

Mr. LaCounte, I have some factual questions for you on this 

issue. How many land-into-trust applications have tribes submitted 

to and are pending with the BIA? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. There is a little over 1,300 that are pending. 

Senator UDALL. And these are since the start of the new Administration, or just these are pending? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. Just pending. 

Senator UDALL. Okay. How many applications relate to off-reservation acquisitions? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. A little over 200. 

Senator UDALL. Two hundred out of that 1,300. How many of 

those applications are for gaming? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. My understanding is there are 21. 

Senator UDALL. Twenty-one out of the 1,300. Since this Administration began, how many acres of land has the department acquired under its IRA authority to take land into trust? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. Just under 16,000. 

Senator UDALL. Sixteen hundred? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. Sixteen thousand. 

Senator UDALL. Sixteen thousand acres that you have taken into 

trust in the 14, 15 months? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. Correct. 

Senator UDALL. To the two chairs, your testimony highlights why 

the land-into-trust process is so important for tribes, particularly 

those with little or no land base. Could you please elaborate on 

your testimony and explain why a permanent homeland is so important to your tribe? Why don’t we reverse the order and have 

Chairwoman Mejia begin there? 

Ms. MEJIA. Having a permanent homeland for our people provides a continuity for the tribal government and for taking care of 

our members as time goes on. As you know, Indian people think 

seven generations ahead. So having this land enables the tribal 

government to plan for the future of its members. 

Senator UDALL. Thank you. Chairman Kahn? 

Mr. KAHN. I certainly agree with Chairwoman Mejia. But tribes, 

we look at land in a way that is perpetual. When we set foot on 

land and inhabit, we look into the future, hundreds and hundreds 

of years into the future. So again, it is vital for self-determination 

35 

and for the strength of our customs and traditions through many, 

many generations. It is about planning for all eternity. 

Senator UDALL. Thank you very much for those answers. Thank 

you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. I would ask Mr. Healy and Mr. Krauch, are 

there any provisions that they could include in the memorandum 

that would garner support for putting land into trust? 

Mr. HEALY. If I may start, Mr. Chairman. Two points on that. 

First of all, I very much appreciate the Chair’s offer to modify the 

MOU with the county to permanently ban gaming on any future 

lands, as well as this property taken into trust in Sonoma County, 

if that is what I understood the offer to be. I would suggest that 

that should not be accommodated through modifying the MOA with 

the county, because Section 5 of the current bill has this rather 

strange set of compromise provisions on restrictions on gaming for 

limited periods of time. 

And I really think that Congress should say what it means and 

use precise language in these bills, because this would essentially 

be an override of the language in Section 5 of the current bill. I 

think Section 5 should actually be modified to include that proposal. Because that would be permanent until Congress changes it. 

But the MOA between the county and the tribe could be change by 

those parties at any point in the future. 

So I think that would require an amendment to the current bill. 

I assume it would mean it would have to go back to the House for 

concurrence and amendments. But that would memorialize what 

the offer is on the table now in a very permanent way. 

The second thing I would say, this isn’t just a problem with the 

Federal process, but the process that was followed locally lacked 

transparency as well. What the public understood to be coming forward initially for a long time until the last moment was essentially 

just a housing, a land-into-trust application, which I think the community would largely be fine with. It is this large commercial development that hasn’t had an environmental analysis that is causing a lot of the angst, the 200,000 case winery, the 200-room resort, 

which the environmental assessment has not been done. It has 

been promised for the future. But it seems to be putting the cart 

in front of the horse to be approving the land into trust without 

that work having been done. I will stop at that point. 

The CHAIRMAN. To the extent that the tribe is likely or willing 

to enter into that discussion, it also would probably mean on your 

part, or the community’s part, that they would then have to get to 

the point of agreement. In other words, they don’t have too much 

incentive to make those adjustments if you are still going to impose 

the legislation, do you follow me? So it seems to me if you offer 

those as potential solutions, then it would also require your approval, that if there is some accommodation that is agreed to. 

Mr. HEALY. I think there is a willingness to have that kind of 

a conversation. The problem is that this MOA with the county was 

kind of cut between the parties without any public input. And now 

it is locked in and there is no ability to revisit those issues. If this 

legislation passes, there would be no further opportunity. But if 

this is put on hold, and people are told to reopen it and talk about 

36 

it, then that is a conversation that can certainly take place. I would 

certainly be willing to be part of it. 

The CHAIRMAN. I am just suggesting that you have that time 

now to have that conversation, should you desire to have that conversation. 

Mr. HEALY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Krauch? 

Mr. KRAUCH. Yes. We obviously understand that the tribal community has the right of self-determination to foster economic development, and the Chumash have done an outstanding job with their 

economic development. But what they do need is the housing. We 

have proposed an alternative site that is closer to the reservation, 

bounded by better roads, better ingress and egress and can accommodate the needs of 143 one-acre lots and a 30-acre community 

center. 

If that is not possible, what we would like to see is an agreement 

that extends beyond 20 years, because after 20 years the tribe has 

the right to develop the property in any way they see fit. We would 

also like further clarification and better legalese on the water 

rights. We understand the Intercourse Act is probably not an issue 

here. Our concern is with winters. 

Third party enforcement, we are a little bit concerned about the 

county making any enforcement, since they have a lot of deficits 

that are being faced as a result of the floods and the fire. The casino expansion probably concerns the community to a great degree. 

They recently expanded it with a 12-story hotel. It has resulted in 

increased traffic and other issues, burdening the community, that 

we don’t want to see increase. So we would hope that there would 

not be another casino or an expansion of the existing casino which 

they have the right to do under the California compact. 

The CHAIRMAN. Chairman Kahn, any thoughts in regard to those 

comments? 

Mr. KAHN. I certainly appreciate the alternative land bases, but 

we purchased the property, Camp 4, in 2010. Started negotiating 

with the county in 2011. The property Mr. Krauch refers to as an 

alternate was purchased by the tribe in 2015. So we are already 

four years into the process. 

In addition, the tribe tried to purchase two contiguous parcels for 

purposes of housing. Some of the same members of the Coalition 

and some of the opponents actually purchased one of the parcels, 

rather than the tribe being able to purchase it, so we could not develop it, or take it into trust, and convinced other neighboring landowners not to sell to the tribe. 

So Camp 4 was the first available parcel within a reasonable 

amount of distance within our aboriginal territory that made sense 

for housing. And it is right next to a housing development that I 

believe Mr. Krauch actually, certainly resides in as well. 

And the other question, I think you had a two-part question. 

The CHAIRMAN. Well, it is just that in both cases, in regard to 

both pieces of legislation, you have some period of time you are to 

have a dialogue. Both those have passed the House, true? 

Mr. KAHN. Yes, sir. 

The CHAIRMAN. So if you are going to have your dialogue, now 

is your time. You have some period of time to get that done. So I 

37 

am just encouraging parties on both sides to have that dialogue. 

Clearly, you have been doing some things, which I commend you 

for. I am just trying to find out if there is some way to reach resolution here, or it will be done through the legislation. We have yet 

to predict that outcome. Both bills did pass the House, which I 

would think would encourage both of you gentlemen to find some 

common ground. 

On the flip side, in the Senate, there is a lot of procedural rules, 

which means you have some incentive as well, both chairmen. So 

I am just encouraging you to have that dialogue. 

And then just a couple questions for Mr. LaCounte before I turn 

to the Vice Chairman to see if he has any final questions. What is 

the average time it takes for land into trust under Part 151? How 

long does that process typically take? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. A very long time. 

The CHAIRMAN. It does, right. 

Mr. LACOUNTE. The quickest I have ever seen one done was six 

months, and I used to study this stuff. And that was very fast for 

this process. 

The CHAIRMAN. Typically, we are talking years? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. Correct. 

The CHAIRMAN. In some cases, quite a few years. 

Mr. LACOUNTE. Quite a few years, yes. 

The CHAIRMAN. And then I have one question for you, Mr. 

LaCounte, on an unrelated subject, so I had better turn to my Vice 

Chair to see if he has any other questions. All right. 

As you know, in the recent government funding bill, we worked 

to include Department of Interior’s Facilities Replacement and New 

Construction Program for Indian Tribal Justice Facilities. Will the 

BIA abide by the intention of this program and allocate sufficient 

funds to tribes to reconstruct and replace facilities? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. Yes, sir. 

The CHAIRMAN. As the Committee report states, the BIA had 

compiled a list of facilities in need of replacement, and Congress directed them to use that list when allocating funds for this program. 

In allocating these new funds, will BIA use the current list of facilities in need of replacement as directed by Congress? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. Yes. 

The CHAIRMAN. Will tribes that have been waiting the longest 

and have shovel-ready projects be given priority? 

Mr. LACOUNTE. I don’t have the answer to that. I tried to find 

the answer to that question, but no one responded to me. But I will 

certainly get back to you with an answer to that question. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. LaCounte. I appreciate it very 

much. 

Vice Chairman? 

Senator UDALL. I am good. 

The CHAIRMAN. Okay. With that, I would like to thank the witnesses. Members may submit follow-up questions, so you may get 

some follow-up questions. We would request that that be done 

within two weeks. So for two weeks, you may get some written 

questions. So again, thanks to all of you for your time today. We 

appreciate it. 

With that, the hearing is adjourned. 

38 

[Whereupon, at 3:29 p.m., the hearing was concluded.] 

(39) 

A P P E N D I X 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF PREPARED STATEMENT HON. JAMES GORE, CHAIRPERSON, 

SONOMA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

On behalf of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors I would like to thank 

Chairman Hoeven, Vice Chairman Udall, and members of the Committee on Indian 

Affairs for the opportunity to submit this testimony in support of H.R. 597—the 

Lytton Rancheria Homelands Act of 2017. My name is James Gore, and I serve as 

the Chairperson of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and in this position 

I submit this letter on behalf of the entire Board. This bill, in many ways, exemplifies the type of relationships that tribes and local governments must pursue given 

a flawed fee-to-trust process which is characterized by both a lack of transparency 

from the Bureau of Indian Affairs on roles and authorities, and a lack of objective 

criteria for decisions. Ironically, the failures in the existing process serve to more 

often pit local governments and tribes against each other rather than facilitate identification of mutual interests. 

As you know, the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), of which 

Sonoma County is a member, has been very vocal about reform of the fee-to-trust 

process. Cooperation between local jurisdictions and tribal governments goes a long 

way towards the goal of overcoming the impediments of the current process. One 

concern often voiced is that impacts related to the acquisition be fully mitigated— 

both for the short and long term. The best way to demonstrate that the off-reservation impacts of a project have been sufficiently addressed is through a voluntary 

intergovernmental agreement between the tribe and local jurisdictions. Sonoma 

County believes that the Sonoma County—Lytton Rancheria Memorandum of 

Agreement (MOA) is an example of the type of intergovernmental understandings 

that must be reached on fee-to-trust projects to ensure that off-reservation impacts 

are mitigated. 

Sonoma County is home to five federally-recognized tribes, two of which operate 

casinos. While the County opposes gaming, we nonetheless have intergovernmental 

agreements with three of the five tribes, including the two that operate gambling 

facilities. We are also in conversation with the other two tribes to work towards 

memoranda of agreement with respect to pending fee-to-trust requests. We commend the leadership of the Lytton Rancheria of California for engaging in a fee-totrust consultation process where we could work together on a government-to-government basis to ensure that the Tribe’s objectives were met and that the off-reservation impacts were mitigated through a judicially enforceable agreement. 

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) 

The MOA is the product of hard work among the parties that started about 10 

years ago with the County working with the Lytton Tribe to address what the County saw as inadequacies in the Environmental Assessment of the Tribe’s initial trust 

proposal and community concerns regarding gaming. The Tribe and County worked 

together to accurately identify the off-reservation impacts and, as the project 

changed over time, to build a framework that met the parties’ respective interests. 

We believe the MOA, which is approved by both the Tribe and County and which 

is supported in the legislation, is now a model for cooperation on future development 

on tribal lands. 

From the County’s perspective, H.R. 597 has two critical components. First, the 

legislation ensures that, in perpetuity, no gaming will be conducted on the lands 

taken into trust. While the Lytton Tribe did not have a stated intention to acquire 

the land for gaming purposes, the legislation helps address community and government concern on the issue for the long term. Second, the legislation recognizes and 

protects the MOA from any potential interference from the Department of the Interior. While the Tribe entered into the MOA as an exercise of its sovereignty, under 

25 U.S.C. Section 81, the Department of the Interior reserves the ability to substitute its judgment for the Tribe’s and, historically, has not played an active role 

40 

in facilitating these types of agreements. The legislation helps ensure that the mutually beneficial MOA will not be disturbed. 

The MOA specifically addresses potential off-reservation impacts in several important respects by: (1) specifying current development limits and providing for tailored 

mitigation; (2) setting land use parameters and providing for environmental review 

of future tribal projects (and a conflict resolution process if there is disagreement 

over necessary mitigation); (3) prohibiting gaming (which provision is enhanced by 

the legislative ban); (4) ensuring that applicable building and fire code standards 

are met; and (5) making the MOA and compliance with prior NEPA identified mitigation measures judicially enforceable. One of the unique provisions of the MOA addresses changes in use. As stated above, a review process was established in the 

MOA by creating some broad parameters for future use and building in a voluntary, 

tribal driven, environmental review process, the focus of which would be to determine any off-reservation impacts of a proposed project. The MOA then puts in place 

a negotiation and binding dispute resolution process if the parties are not able to 

agree on appropriate mitigation. This approach respects sovereignty while also ensuring that off-reservation impacts are adequately addressed in the County’s view. 

The County has heard some concerns that once the prohibition on gaming in the 

MOA expires, the Tribe would be able to establish gaming facilities anywhere in the 

County without being subject to IGRA. The County believes this a strained reading 

of the language in the MOA and that the concerns are unfounded. However, the 

County requests clarifying language in the conference report to make clear that this 

is not the intent of the legislation. 

Conclusion 

As part of the 1991 judicial settlement agreement which restored the Lytton 

Tribe, the County committed to assist the Tribe in finding suitable housing and economic development opportunities. The passage of H.R. 597 and the resulting implementation of the MOA would deliver on that commitment. Enactment of H.R. 597 

will reestablish an historic homeland for the Tribe in Sonoma County while setting 

a course for a constructive intergovernmental relationship and addressing community concerns regarding gaming. 

Thank you for the opportunity to share these views. 

41 


524a1.eps

AP<il17, 20!8 

Cbairmau.Mm H"""'n 

StnA!eC!>~ mt Iildlrn Mf•ilt 

E3$ Mort: Sopato (}ffil":' l:lnitdiPB 

WwlJingtoll, D.C. ;111S10 

~loS.nO!«I-l"""""' 

,, •. ! 

I~ :w 

' 

-F - .·• 

o.. bl!lmltoflho Ik>aniof~= ~ Snuta n..m~:~ eou~. t Mim" txp<tsL~ w Cour.ty's oontBto'-".1 wp.port ibr 

~ ~ of"R.R.. l4i'l, the s~!)l;l Yneoo= B:tod ore~ hullons l.nnilAflfllltl"-~"" Act cl'20l'I.A!I indkmd in~ 

COIIJity'~ i¢rtorm COJlgre;sruan Kevln Meatrlily (atti!Ch::d), l:!L)I!nl entr;{ed 11110 a l:ong mnn M~momm!um of 

A.g<eoment (MOA) ~I! O.tob:r 31, ~017, Willi tllo -SllllJ:o Yne-..<! .. ndofGhumo>h tnd"'ns {tb8 Tr:ib<.) "'PrdinJl; llo• 14Z? 

JICfn<Jf!a.ld in S!m!t l'll!lbarn C"'-lru;ylrno'-1111 as Camp 4. 

As~ o:f1hc MOA ~ !hc>Cootll)t ""'<:!!II< Tn'l>f:, the-Cmlnly~!ilimlsstd fu litli!"IWI> eJIPC)!IJDg~~~ul$>U¢n 

UfCSm!lo<i iloomm Wfll'Z bcne.fit 11fdl$ ~;mol now ~l'J)OIU llW Tn~·a J11l1Sllll of1rltml l'lg>JSq:=l f!Wilitiw ~r.~ 

the C-amp4 propmy w; ootllnod ill Afu:llilllive B <>fth<l FiMI EDvifOllmOnt»i A=ssrne-.rt. 

l!l ib4 Cn~~MYs J\'l;wtoo.bet 1, l017lett<.:n~ Ccngressman ~CII:rthy, !be Tribo! ond thu Co11m;y Jointly m;u~ fual 

H.R 1491 be amo.md. to t'l•lb:=tb~ Joeal MOA bei'l.w~ 1lre T.-fue a!IC 11"' Calmly ..,Q to>efernoco d.e So""l!lozyttf' 

Jnterlot'! !lpprollll! r;{dllsMQA. Thcro~ ;mJmrlllents:ttreuow m~ in&:cr/11!11 ~ l'1wi1!lgl ln tbo IrnJSt 

recent vonloo:H>fRR. 14-91. 

On Mruth 22, 2\'llll, Mlho ~ ofS"""tar Di=ol'coiosttin's nffi..., lho Ct>~i<mlll ~<Wclt Stn'fc~ l&uoit a. 

rrU.:ll~ IISS!lrti<>g 1M p;rohibiliOD of ~bling <lll Camp 4 !,: ornfotpea.bk• by !h~ Ulrit=O St:n!o~ lJOldeC lS ll.S.C. §l (U;~ end 

tmllb': l'nlive:roftix;'nibc"s~~ imnm:lity-would liltely be t~~fim""lll~]l~r !hil GOndi!iQ~ d0lllill:~ io lb1l MQA. 

T&aCOII!<.'Y fa!ly ,;uppum Ull!~ m-H.ll.. 1491\timllgh llll.l &!!at~ C001m1nee 011llidi3u.<U'!i!in;lilld ~is lila 

tlm(!.fy -oflbfilegislal!on.. 

Sln~ely, 

Das'Willfums 

CM!t, ~D&bltr.l Coo!llyB!l-3tdofSil~~~lll' 
42 


524a2.eps

!Congrtss of tll• 'ill!niteb ~tates 

Atonll'e nf BrprMentatibr~ 

IDHn!!'~inllt~n. ID~ .205l5 

April23, 2018 

The Honorable John Hoeven, ChairmElll 

Committee on Indian Affuin; 

U.S. Senate 

Washington, D.C. 20515-6450 

Dear Chainnan Hoeven and Committee Members, 

As the Member of Congress representing the "camp 4" property nddressed in H.R. 1491, which 

would rca:ffinn tl1c action ofthc Secretary of the Interior to take land intntrust for the Santa 

Yne<: Band ofChumash Mission WdiiUis, I would like to take this opportunity to express my 

support for the amended version of the bill which was passed by the Hous~: ofRepr!;ll;enlatives in 

November 2017 and wlll be under consideration by your Committee at your April25'h hearing. 

I llavc a unique perspective on this issue, having previously smved as a Santa BarbE!I'a County 

Supervisor for twelve yean~, During my tenure, the issue of Camp 4 was deliberated before the 

Board of Supervisors on ~cverul oocllSions. During those discussions, I was one of the first 

electell officials to consistcntly call for direct govemment-to-gavemnu:nt discussions between 

the Chum ash Tribe and the County. I nm pleased to see thnt those ensuing negotiations resulted 

in an agreement that addresses the Tribe's well documented need fur tribnl housing while 

providing for importilllt mitigations to address potential impacts on public vicw:s, traffic., wnter 

resources,local tax revenues, nnd thelUltural environment. 

1 believe that the locally negotiated agreement concerning Camp 4 between the Tribe and the 

County, which is incorporated in the amended version ofH.R. 1491, is in the best interest of my 

constituents and is an import1nt step toward establishing a long-term collaborative rclt~tionship 

between all parties involved. 

l thank you for your consideration and respectfully request that you support H.R.\491 as approved 

by the House. 

Sincerely, 

f)Ja.(}Jf 

SALUD 0. CARBAJAL 
43 

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY THE SANTA YNEZ BAND OF CHUMASH

INDIANS

Chairman Kahn, testimony received by the Committee raises several questions 

about utilization of the Camp 4 property and the Agreement between the County 

and the Tribe. Can you address the following questions that were raised? 

1) The Camp 4 site is not the best site for this housing project. The nearby, 369 

acre parcel would be a ‘‘superior alternative’’ rather than the Camp 4 property. Do 

you agree and why not proceed with development on the 369 acre parcel? 

Answer. This assertion is inaccurate for a variety of reasons. The Tribe has pointed out that this parcel has been designated by the County of Santa Barbara as a 


524a3.eps
44 

Special Problem Overlay area. Special Problem Overlay (SPO) areas are so designated by the County of Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors’ resolution. The SPO 

areas are proposed by County Public Works to identify properties that may be inappropriate for development. SPO areas have been identified as having one or more 

physical or geological barriers to development, such as high groundwater, steep 

slopes, flood areas, limited access, unconsolidated or expansive soils, or other geological problems in the County otherwise subject to development. 

For landowners that apply for development in a Special Problem Overlay area, additional permit processing steps are required in what is already a very difficult and 

expensive permit process in Santa Barbara County. These permits must be reviewed 

by the Special Problems Committee (SPC) which consists of all the County departments involved in permit approvals (Fire, EHS, Building & Safety, Flood Control, 

Roads, Surveyor). The SPC scrutinizes these development applications by requiring 

detailed engineering studies. Without approval from the SPC, development projects 

cannot move through the normal permit process. These additional upfront costs and 

mandatory SPC committee approval process dissuades landowners from seeking 

substantial development for property under a Special Problem Overlay. 

The parcel offered up by Mr. Krauch was first designated as a SPA in 1979. We 

do know that there has never been a request for review of this designation under 

the SPC process for this 379 acre parcel. We have attached the original Resolution 

by the County creating the SPA process with the field notes by the County recommending the designation for the 369 acre parcel. 

Finally we point out that attempting to build 143 home sites on a 369 acre parcel 

would dramatically alter the density patterns that we have been able to ensure with 

the Camp 4 property. An increase in the density that would be required for the 369 

acre parcel is totally inconsistent with the density patterns on all neighboring housing tracts. 

2. The Agreement with the County referenced in HR 1491 expires in 2040. Why 

not extend the Agreement to provide greater certainty to interested parties past 

2040? 

Answer. This Agreement is consistent with the term of the first Cooperative 

Agreement proposed by the Tribe in 2010 with a ten (10) year term until the expiration of its first 1999 compact which expired in 2020. The new Memorandum of 

Agreement with the County has a term of more than twice as long and its over 

twenty (20) year term now expires in 2040 which is the expiration date of the 

Tribe’s new Compact. 

A core element of the Agreement is the funding that the Tribe has agreed to pay 

to the County during the term of this Agreement to address services needed by 

these residents. The commitment of the Tribe to this payment level must be dictated 

by the Tribe’s ability to realize revenues to meet the requirements of the Agreement. The source of these funds is, of course, the revenues realized by Tribal gaming, which is controlled by the terms of the Compact with the State. The Tribe’s 

compact with the State runs through 2040 at which time a renewal of the Compact 

and a renewal of the Agreement can be addressed concurrently. The Tribe’s commitment to enter into an obligation to pay for services in the future runs contrary to 

every other government that cannot obligate its citizens to future appropriated 

funds requirement. This prohibition is clearly outlined under Federal Government 

regulations. 

In addition, planning restrictions and controls extended beyond 20 years is contrary to the planning guidelines for any other level of government. Most governments have 20 year planning horizons and such a timeframe is essentially reflected 

in this Agreement. 

3. There is concern that HR 1491 would allow the Tribe to market off reservation 

water sales. Do you feel that there are adequate protections in the Agreement to 

prevent exporting water from the Camp 4 parcels? 

Answer. The existing Chumash economic development and housing is actually 

water-neutral, thanks to tertiary treatment and recycling which allows reuse of 

water for a wide array of purposes. The passage of HR 1491 will not allow the Tribe 

to export water from the Camp 4 trust lands and the Tribe testified under oath during the Committee hearing that it has no intention of doing so. As Mr. Krauch acknowledged in his testimony to the Committee, the Non-Intercourse Act would prevent the Tribe from exporting water from the reservation. Further, his concern that 

the Tribe could export water under the Winters Doctrine is a misplaced concern. 

The Winters Doctrine recognizes a reserved water right appurtenant to the land 

reserved, (here the Camp 4 trust lands), to be used on that land. Because the reserved water rights are appurtenant to the land, that water cannot severed and exported for other uses or purposes. In addition, reserved rights are measured as of 

45 

the date the federal government accepts the land into trust which in the case of 

Camp 4 was January 20, 2017, which makes them junior to every other water right 

in Santa Ynez Valley. 

4. While H.R. 1491 explicitly prohibits gaming on Camp 4, testimony was provided that the Tribe may expand its gaming by accessing the existing Tribal home 

sites and developing there. Are these concerns valid? 

Answer. The erroneous argument that the Tribe would convert these homes, on 

the existing reservation, to any type of a commercial enterprise fails to acknowledge 

the responsibility that the Tribal government has to its citizens. Ownership of the 

existing homes on the Reservation does not terminate with the Camp 4 home sites. 

Camp 4 was purchased in 2010 by a vote of every tribal member over 18 years of 

age with a promise that every tribal member alive on that date would get a home 

site on Camp 4 that could be inherited by their children. The Tribe cannot trade 

Camp 4 homes for those on the existing reservation. The Tribal Government has 

no desire or ability to condemn existing housing on the Reservation for any reason 

including the future casino alleged by Mr. Krauch and his group. The same people 

opposed for 14 years a tribal museum project across the street from the existing casino again making the unsubstantiated contention that the Tribe also intended to 

build a second casino across the street from its existing one. 

5. The Agreement allows only the County to bring suits against the Tribe for failure to adhere to the tenants of the Agreement. Why not allow any citizen to bring 

suit for failure to comply with the Agreement? 

Answer. The Agreement between two sovereign governments elevates these concerns to a public and transparent level. Violations by either party of any provision 

of the Agreement can still be appealed by individual citizens to their locally elected 

government officials. This was the process that Mr. Krauch and his coalition used 

with the County until the larger citizenry of the County encouraged the County to 

work with the Tribe on an Agreement. This is the essence of representational government. The Tribe’s commitment to this Agreement is so strong that it has agreed 

to a waiver of its sovereign immunity for any violations of or failure to adhere to, 

the terms of this Agreement. 

Subsequent Question Pertaining to Existing Easements on Camp 4 

After the hearing on H.R. 1491, we are aware that the Senate Indian Affairs Committee also received correspondence dealing with a question of easements on the 

Camp 4 property. The correspondence asserts that there are existing easements on 

the Camp 4 property that have not been properly recognized or recorded. 

In fact, there are two easement issues that need to be clarified and are addressed 

by the incorporation of the Environmental Assessment (EA) into the Memorandum 

of Agreement (MOU) between the County and the Tribe. The first is a road easement that runs North-South on the Western edge of the Camp 4 property but not 

onto the property itself. This easement would allow a land owner (i.e., Ms. Shepard) 

with property adjacent to the Camp 4 property to enjoy the opportunity to access 

Baseline Avenue and have a second access point to her property which is West and 

adjacent to the Camp 4 parcel. 

The EA recognizes all easements of record and explains that they are not affected 

by the fee to trust transfer. In addition, in response to a comment letter by the landowner referenced above, the EA further agrees to recognize all access easements and 

specifically includes the Shepard easement. That EA/environmental document, recognizing this easement, was included and adopted by the County as part of the 

MOU and therefore is enforceable against the Tribe. 

The second issue with the easement is actually an issue between the County and 

the Tribe regarding responsibility for maintenance of the internal roads running 

through the Camp 4 property. These internal roads represent almost 21 acres of impacted land within Camp 4. While there may be some issue as to whether these are 

County roads or Tribal roads, the Tribe has decided to take this issue off the table 

by assuming the responsibility of maintaining the roads through their property. 

There are no private property interests affiliated with this easement. 

46 

1The map referred to has been retained in the Committee files. 

RESOLUTION NO. 79–302—RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 

OF THE COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA 

A RESOLUTION IMPLEMENTING SUBSECTION (B) OF SECTION 10–21 (MODIFICATIONS) OF

THE SANTA BARBARA COUNTY CODE BY DESIGNATING AN OLD ‘‘TOWNLOT’’ SUBDIVISION NEAR THE TOWN OF SANTA YNEZ IN THE COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA AS HAVING

PRESENT OR ANTICIPATED FLOODING, DRAINAGE, ROAD ACCESS, DOMESTIC WATER, 

WASTEWATER DISPOSAL AND LOCATION PROBLEMS, AND HEREBY DELINEATING THE

SAME AS A ‘‘SPECIAL PROBLEMS AREA’’. 

WITH REFERENCE TO THE FOLLOWING: 

A. The Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Barbara has amended Subsection (b) of Section 10–21 (Modifications) of the Santa Barbara County Code which 

amends Subsection (a) of section 302 of Page 30 of the Uniform Building Coder 1976 

Edition, to provide for designating certain areas as ‘‘Special Problem Areas’’ on 

maps to be kept by the Development DivisTon of the County Department of Public 

works, which areas have present or anticipated flooding, drainage, grading, access, 

road width, sewage disposal, water supply location or elevation problems. 

B. Grading riders shall not be issued for requested building permits in such ‘‘Special Problem Areas’’ unless and until plans and specifications for the proposed buildings or structures have been reviewed by the Santa Barbara County ‘‘Special Problems Committee’’ and any and all reasonable and necessary conditions have been 

imposed as conditions of approval of said building permit application, as provided 

in said amended Section 302. 

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS RESOLVED as follows: 

1. The unincorporated area near the township of Santa Ynez, of the County of 

Santa Barbara as delineated on a map, a copy of which is attached to this Resolution 1 and by this reference made a part hereof, is an area having present or anticipated flooding, drainage, road width, domestic water. and wastewater disposal and 

location as to fire hazard problems and is hereby delineated as a ‘‘Special Problems 

Area’’ all as provided in and for the purposes of Subsection (b) of Section 10–21 

(Modifications) of the Santa Barbara County Code. 

2. The said attached map of the said ‘‘Special Problems Area’’ is a true and correct 

copy thereof and is hereby ordered to be kept by the Development Division of the 

County Department of Public Works to be used as provided in said Subsection (b} 

of said Section 10–21 of the Santa Barbara County Code. 

3. Copies of this Resolution shall be forwarded by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors to the Director of Public Works; the Flood Control Engineer; the Transportation Director and Road Commissioner; the Director of County Health Services, the 

County Fire Department, and the County Counsel. 

PASSED and ADOPTED by the Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Barbara, State of California, this 21st day of May, 1979. 

Æ