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Band of Chumash Indians chastises Lois Capps

May 7, 2016

Chumash IndiansOpen letter from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians to Rep. Lois Capps:

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians recoil in disbelief about your public display of support of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.

How is it possible that you can support marine life which we agree are part of Chumash heritage and not support the actual federal recognized Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians whose Santa Ynez Indian Reservation is in the middle of your Congressional District?

While the land of the Chumash people has been diminished to a mere 144 acres in the Santa Ynez Valley, how can you extol a marine sanctuary the boundaries of which were stolen by military force from the Chumash people. While the now 144 acre Chumash Reservation is in a riverbed and swamp, you have repeatedly opposed the efforts of the tribe to acquire land for housing its members and their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Your opposition to HR 1157 to provide such housing for the Chumash is a matter of public record.

We ask that you not associate with any project that infers that you support any Chumash heritage (including marine life) until you can actually support the flesh and blood members of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and their quest to provide housing for their members and children.

Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Tribal Chairman Kenneth Kahn sent the above letter to Rep. Lois Capps on May 4.


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Folks,


Although I am no fan of Lois Capps, I must say that the Santa Ynez Indians Inc. have acted disrespectfully towards their neighbors time and time again. They have let the money associated with their monopoly on gambling corrupt their thinking, and they bring shame to indian cultures.


The Santa Ynez Indians, Inc have gone ahead with plans to erect a 12 story building in the Santa Ynez Valley, and it stands out like a sore thumb. Acting with indifference to their neighbors is disrespectful and the people in the valley are rightfully upset and disgusted.


I encourage everyone to boycott Chumash Gambling unless and until the tribe agrees to begin to act responsibly, and we all should push for the California Legislature to legalize all gambling in the state. Without their government-provided monopoly, the Chumash would not have a lock on gambling profits.


Tribal reservation status is not a license to bully.


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Bite the hand that fed you……not wise. Two more additions to the dust heap of history. Greed kills both the giver with a lust for power and the taker with a lust for something for nothing.


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So, according to this letter, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, is not a federally recognized native american organization. Is this true? If so, what standing do they have to propose this marine sanctuary? It appears that Lois has been had again.


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The Northern Chumash are not federally recognized.


The only recognized tribe of Chumash by the Federal government are the Santa Ynez band.


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Then how does Fred Collins get away legally with doing mitigation work around our area? I would think that you’d have to be a federally recognized member of the a recognized tribe to follow the mandates. How are these mitigations legal as required by law.


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They are not federally recognized, but it might depend on what mandates you’re talking about. He was trying to get that mandated by using the agency that would present it to the Federal agency. Unfortunately the Director of that agency was removed by the board of directors a few months back. So he lost his contact that was gonna help him in that endeavor. Another tribe provided proof of their ancestors also sharing that area to the state and were opposed to the marine sanctuary and claiming that whole area he wanted to control for the financial reasons. He doesn’t represent the real Chumash Tribe as the article says.


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Sorry that I wasn’t clear. Fred Collins has been doing cultural survey’s that are required for mitigation on some private properties along the coast. In fact, I think he did it on the property that the City of Morro Bay was looking at on Steve McElvaine’s land for the wastewater treatment plant. If the Salinians say he isn’t a native american and the Chumash say he isn’t a native american and the federal government doesn’t recognize him as a native american, then where does he get the legal authority to do these surveys and get paid?


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By getting them to believe he has that backing. Most people aren’t going to ask anyone to verify what they are saying. Concerning Collins….he knows he doesn’t have proof of his ancestors lineage. unfortunately there are imposters that try to claim all kinds of stuff to infiltrate tribes with self seeking motives,either to use them to get access to money or power in some form or another. Some groups even try to get legit by calling themselves tribes. Anybody can say anything, doesn’t mean it’s the truth. They might even be able to get recognized on the State level where the requirements are alot easier to fulfill than at the Federal level where they actually have to prove ancestory back for hundreds of years.


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OK. I think I understand now. But what bothers me, is that this means the County and City government entities that use him are using a faker for an expert. This would mean that all of the mitigations that he has done in the past, and been paid for, are invalid. Therefore, all of these property owners are due their money back and the projects that they have completed are invalid. It sounds like, if Fred Collins isn’t really a native american, a lot of city and county agencies are on the hook for allowing the Northern Chumash Tribal Council to be used as their authority. It sounds like a real problem.


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It does seem like yet another perpetual victim class wanting money from the rest of the tax payers around the state and country. Ultimately, that is what it is. They want someone else to pay for something because of what they identify as.


Biggest scam since the last victim class cry for the redistribution of the fruits of their neighbor’s labors.


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Do you have proof they want to get money from the tax payers or are you running on assumptions? What I read in that article was pertaining to a State rep. that was helping a bogus Chumash tribal member who was trying to get money by using his supposed membership to get a whole area that has been proven to be shared with other area tribes. That would’ve given him control over many federal monies thru grants, research monies etc.


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Most American Indians that are at a minimum blood quantum (1/8 Indian) receive subsidies like free health care from the federal government. The reservation system and tribal recognition needs to end. This is an idea Calvin Coolidge had in the 1920s to better integrate American Indians into American life, and it is an idea that is long overdue.


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About 10 years ago, I watched a local special on TV about the current status of the tribe after the casino had drew revenue from the gambling for a few years. One question was what has the tribe done with the monies from the gambling for the tribe?

If I remember rightly, the tribal counsel built a medical clinic and a meeting building for the tribe. But, then the TV program exposed a number of huge McMansions that had been individually built for tribal counsel members only. The program had aerial views of the Tuscany style mansions, some had Italian Marble flown in for their bathrooms with gold fixtures.

Anyway, I was thinking, for the cost of building any future Mansions, why not use the money for buying land and building housing tracts for the common tribal member?


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They have used profits from the casino to buy land for housing for their tribal members, which has been held up from breaking ground to start construction on those homes because county politicians and apparently Ms. Capps have managed to stall it.


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Wrong, the Chumas are trying to gobble up land in the Santa Ynez Valley to turn their Casino into a resort destination. They want their land under the aegis of the Chumash tribe to avoid federal, state, and local regulations. The local residents and Lois Capps are right in fighting against massive Casino development in a rural valley.


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As long as they legally pay for what land they buy, why do you have a problem with that. They should have a right as anyone else does, as long as they meet all the legal requirements? Or is that only a privilege for the “locals”? History proves they were in that area long before anyone else.


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You do not understand the concept of Tribal Sovereignty.


If the Chumash buy the land and it is under the control of a private Chumash citizen of the United States, then yes, the Chumash have to follow the same legal requirements as everyone else.


Why the Chumash are complaining about Lois Capps is that she is resisting attempts of the Tribe to increase the land holdings of their “Sovereign Tribal Land.” If the Chumash buy land and it becomes tribal land, then the Chumash by and large can do what they want with it because the land is considered sovereign and the domain of the Chumash people. This is why large Indian reservations have their own police, judges, laws, and courts that exist separately and apart from state, federal, and local laws. The Chumash want to buy land and make it Tribal land to avoid State,Federal, and local environmental laws and review


In short, it is an attempt by the Chumash to circumvent the laws of the United States and place the land under their sovereignty. The post above by Josey Wales describes some of the behavior the Chumash have exhibited in the Santa Ynez Valley, erecting huge monstrosities that are out of place in a rural area focused on cattle ranching and vineyards. Lois Capps has taken the side of the vast majority of Santa Ynez Valley residents in trying to stop the Chumash from being mega development to a quiet community.


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As I eluded to previously, you seem to have a problem with Native Americans bettering themselves. They were there long before you were born, so now that you’re there you should be able to control them they should live like you think they should live. Fortunately the world doesn’t rotate around what you think. It was ok when they didn’t even have drinking water for years, but now that they are making money and growing, you’re upset. Oh well….


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One can never go wrong in underestimating the integrity of Lois Capps and the democrat party.


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I love it. Call out all the politicians who speak with forked tongues (pretty much all of them).

Great letter, way to call her out Chumash! You got it right No more Anger.


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The Chumash need to stop whining.


There are only a few hundred in the Santa Ynez Chumash tribe. They are all filthy rich off revenue from their Casino.


This article plays loose with the facts and makes it seem like the Chumash are impoverished and poor due to a lack of land. While their land holdings may be small, the Chumash are very wealthy because the Casino is an easy drive from LA.


Calling the article from Chumash Tribal Chairman deceptive is an understatement. The real reason the Chumash want to expand their land holdings is so that they can develop land under tribal laws and thus skirt local, state, and federal environmental law and review.


Lois Capps has actually done a service to the Central Coast and the people of the Santa Ynez Valley who want to preserve the rural character of the community and are fighting massive development proposals from the well-funded Chumash.


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“The Chumash need to stop whining”


You must be a hoot at parties.


Please leans a little respect and humility.


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Sorry, I am going to call it whining when multimillionaire casino owners want to avoid environmental laws and reviews on account of being American Indian.


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The hypocrisy of Lois Capps and the democrat party is priceless.


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As Was posted before, goodbye Lois, thanks for nothing


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