• Gov. Jerry Brown announced on Aug. 6 that he has signed tribal-state gaming compacts between the state of California and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Jamul Indian Village, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, as well as an amendment to the current tribal-state gaming compact with the Yurok Tribe.
The terms of the new compacts regarding licensing, compliance enforcement, mitigation of off-reservation impacts, and protections for patrons and employees are consistent with recent compacts. The regulatory provisions reflect the professionalism of the tribes’ regulators and their constructive relationship with state gaming regulators. The new compacts strengthen government-to-government relations at the local level by providing incentives for tribal funding to local jurisdictions for fire, emergency medical services, law enforcement, public transit, infrastructure improvements, education, and other essential services. They also promote tribal investments that provide a mutual benefit to the tribe and the local community. These investments may include renewable energy, recycling or water conservation projects, non-gaming-related economic development, and health care facilities.
Two of the compacts–Pechanga and Yocha Dehe–establish the new California Native American Education and Scholarship Fund. This fund recognizes that investment in educational programs and opportunities is essential to the overall health and welfare of all Californians, and is inspired by the belief that a college education not only improves the quality of an individual’s life but also engenders broad social, economic, and political benefits. The fund is intended to ensure that Native American youth from tribes without substantial gaming revenue have the financial support to pursue and obtain undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. Each of the new compacts also provides significant additional revenue to the Revenue Sharing Trust Fund, which distributes gaming revenue to non-gaming and limited gaming tribes so that the economic benefits of gaming reach all tribal governments within California.
This article appears in Aug 11-18, 2016.