No matter what they do, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians can’t seem to escape the ire of their critics.
There’s the issue with Camp 4—the 1,400-acre piece of land that the tribe is trying to get placed in a federal trust, but faces opposition from county leaders who have qualms about land-use issues and the possible loss of tax revenue.
And then there’s the casino and hotel that the tribe built on its existing reservation in 2003 and 2004, respectively, that the tribe is now expanding with a 12-story hotel, restaurant, and parking garage project.
Several local groups have sprung up in opposition, namely Save the Valley LLC, which sued the Chumash to stop the expansion. The lawsuit was dismissed on July 2.
Now, the tribe is catching heat because it recently obtained a permit to sell alcohol on the gaming floor. The tribe announced on Oct. 29 that it received an interim, 120-day, operation permit by the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control, which enables the tribe to sell, serve, and allow consumption of alcoholic beverages on portions of the gaming floor—specifically where games like blackjack and other card games not played against the house are played. (The Chumash Casino does not offer craps or roulette on the betting floor.)
Because of this, the casino is now a 21-and-over facility. But that’s not the problem. For people like Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown, it’s a matter of public safety.
Before the casino got the interim permit to sell alcohol on the gaming floor, alcohol was already allowed at the resort. The current license limits alcohol to hotel rooms, restaurants, and for banquet-style dinners.
According to Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, the sheriff was very disappointed that the ABC issued the temporary license. The main concern is drunk drivers.
“The expansion to include the gaming floor greatly increases the risk to public safety due to intoxicated drivers,” Hoover said in a statement to the Sun. “Our concern is for public safety and the risk of impaired drivers leaving the casino and driving on Highway 246 and the [Highway]154.”
The permit, which can be renewed indefinitely, does carry some stipulations. For instance, no alcohol will be served between the hours of 1 a.m. and 9 a.m. in the casino (which is open 24 hours) and no happy hours will be allowed.
Opposition to expanded alcohol licenses at the Chumash Casino is nothing new. The tribe faced scrutiny in 2013 when it received a license to serve alcohol in the Creekdside Buffet, the hotel spa, and the Samala Showroom.
The judge who granted the expanded license two years ago ruled that there was insufficient evidence to support claims that the expansion would cause more problems for law enforcement.
Tribal Chairman Vincent Armenta acknowledged that the sheriff has legitimate concerns and has spoken with him in the past regarding alcohol policies at the casino. Armenta has promised strict policies, such as stringent ID checking and training for all staff members, not just the servers.
However, he said he doesn’t understand what Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr has against the new alcohol license.
With more than 100 wineries and several bars in her district, Armenta wondered why the Chumash tribe is singled out.
“For over 10 years we’ve been operating under a liquor license and not had one infraction,” Armenta told the Sun. “[Farr] has a solid history of opposing 100 percent of everything we do.”
Although Farr denies that the casino is the sole object of her concern regarding alcohol in the Santa Ynez Valley, she points to how wineries can skirt the population density criteria that determines many liquor licenses a region gets.
“The proliferation of wine tasting rooms has gotten around that because it falls into a different category,” Farr told the Sun, adding that a wine bar is very similar to a wine tasting room. “Wine tasting rooms have not been subject to any of that.”
Armenta said that if people are worried about more drunk people on the road, the addition of 220 hotel rooms included in the expansion ought to provide a place for casino goers who may have had a bit too much to drink.
There’s also a shuttle service in the Santa Ynez Valley that taxis casino patrons to nearby hotels.
According to Armenta, the expansion plans are on schedule and the new hotel and restaurant are slated to open to the public in May 2016.
“There are many casinos in California that have liquor throughout their entire facility and operate very well without incident,” Armenta said. “I’m wondering why individuals think that we can’t do that as well.”
Sheriff Brown, along with Farr, plans to speak out against the license expansion at an appeal hearing, which hasn’t been scheduled yet.
Staff Writer David Minsky can be reached at dminsky@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 5-12, 2015.