Negotiations begin between governor, California tribes

Don Thompson

Wednesday, March 26, 2003 | 9:34 a.m.

SACRAMENTO -- Formal talks have begun on renegotiating California's Indian gambling compacts, as Gov. Gray Davis pushes for a share of tribes' profits to help with the state's budget shortfall.

The governor's administration would disclose neither which tribal representatives were at the first meeting Monday, nor even how many attended. Of the state's 109 federally recognized tribes, 61 tribes now operate 51 casinos, with more on the way. Another 36 tribes have said they want gambling compacts.

But an attorney involved in the talks, Howard Dickstein, said that Davis' negotiating team met with representatives of about 25 tribes that have formed a coalition and offered to work cooperatively with the governor.

Davis is seeking $1.5 billion from the tribes, though even the ones that have said they are willing to contribute contend that figure is unrealistically high. Others have rejected the idea outright.

The tribes participating in the negotiations include those already operating large and small casinos, and those that don't have casinos but want them, according to Dickstein.

They've offered to give the state a share of any profits they receive from additional slot machines they hope will be allowed under revised compacts. The tribes' position is the state's share would come only from slot machines above the current limit of 2,000 per tribe.

In an opening gambit, the administration noted Monday that tribal casinos "have grown exponentially and flourished" since the compacts allowing the casinos were hurriedly approved four years ago.

While the casinos created tens of thousands of jobs and helped local economies, "this prosperity has come at a price for many communities," the administration said, straining water and sewage systems, law enforcement, fire protection, air quality and traffic control.

"The tribes in this coalition believe they've acted responsibly with respect to the off-reservation environment," said Dickstein. But they're willing to consider any assistance the governor's team proposes if it can demonstrate otherwise, he said.

Relationships between the 50 California tribes with Nevada-style casinos and the communities they inhabit have been better in some cases than others. Some tribes have negotiated agreements with counties to provide revenue in exchange for services, while others have been locked in bitter conflict and lawsuits with nearby communities.

The coalition that met with Davis' negotiators Monday set out deliberately to dissociate itself from other tribes that rejected re-negotiations or criticized Davis. They're also tribes that have generally been able to work with the California Gambling Control Commission, while others have been sharply critical.

Both sides called Monday's meetings productive, and said they are the first of many over the next weeks or months.

"We are also in the process of talking to legislators, local governments, sheriffs and unions to discuss how we can all work together as neighbors," former California Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso said in a statement.

Reynoso, retired San Diego County Superior Court Judge Anthony Joseph and San Francisco attorney Frederick Wyle make up the governor's team.