Los Coyotes Band of Indians

Los Coyotes Band of Indians
A century of existing on a remote reservation
Nestled in the rural mountains of San Diego County
is the reservation of the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla
and Cupeño Indians.
The federally recognized Tribe is located in a remote
area 50 miles northeast of San Diego and 105 miles
southeast of Los Angeles, bounded to the north
by Anza Borrego Desert State Park and Cleveland
National Forest, to the west by Cleveland National
Forest, to the east by Anza Borrego Desert
State Park, and to the south by
unincorporated land.
History
Land
The Los Coyotes members are
descendents of the Cahuilla
and Cupeño Indians who
originally occupied two
villages near the reservation’s
hot springs. The hot springs
and the adjacent lands served
as the center of the Tribal
member’s lives.
Approximately 25,000 Acres
An Executive Order on May 5, 1889, set
Membership
328 members
(with approximately 80 members living
on the reservation)
Tribal Government
The General Council is
comprised of all adult
members of the Tribe.
apart lands for the Los Coyotes
reservation, but it was not established
Every year, the adult members of the
until June 19, 1900, under the
Tribe elect a Tribal Council. The
authority of a federal act of January 12,
members also elect a Tribal
1891. Additionally, Cleveland National
Spokesperson to serve as the leader of
Forest land was awarded to the Los
the Tribal Council. The Tribe has
Coyotes Band by Executive Order of
appointed a Gaming and Economic
April 13, 1914.
Development Committee to pursue
economic opportunities, like Indian
Income was sought primarily by
Gaming, for the Tribal membership.
working as ranch and farm hands.
Aboriginal & Territorial
Rights
The Los Coyotes Band has ties
to the Barstow area that date
back many generations. The
Tribe has hunted and traded
with and married members of
the Indian tribes that formerly
lived in the Barstow area.
Los Coyotes Band of
Cahuilla and Cupeño
Indians
Tribal members living on the
reservation live in 12 single-family
homes and 10 mobile trailers. Though
electricity was brought to the edge of
the reservation 12 years ago, the
service is substandard at best. Only
two of the dwellings are heated by
electricity while 68% use wood to
provide heat.
The reservation’s water delivery system
is outdated and inadequate and the
wastewater disposal system is virtually
nonexistent.
Since the 1950s, however, the
majority of Tribal members have sought
employment in communities adjacent
to their reservation. Today, there is still
almost no development on the Los
Coyotes reservation. Electricity,
connected just 12 years ago, serves
only the edge of the reservation.
Tribal member, historian and
former spokeswoman Catherine
Siva Saubel has been appointed
to the State of California Native
American Heritage Commission by
the last four Governors.
Former Tribal Spokesperson
Francine Kupsch appears in a TV
commercial promoting Proposition
5 that legalized Indian gaming in
California.
Living conditions and the lack of
economic opportunity on or near the
reservation have forced Tribal members
to find work and housing scattered
throughout southern California. In fact,
51% of the Tribal members live within a
commutable distance (70 miles) of the
city of Barstow.
Electricity, connected just 12 years ago, serves only
the edge of the reservation.
Former Tribal Spokesperson
Francine Kupsch and her family
lived in this 8 ‘ x 12’ home on the
reservation. The family’s living
conditions, including the lack
of heat or electricity, was used
to convince California voters to
legalize gaming in 1998.
Los Coyotes’ reservation sits in a very remote region
of northern San Diego County, on land unsuitable for
commercial development.
–Sacramento Bee, Editorial, June 1, 2006
Federal Law Provides for Move to Barstow
While extremely rare in occurrence,
Federal law expressly provides for
off-reservation gaming (Sec. 20, Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988), which
can prevent environmental degradation,
eradicate economic destruction and
forest economic self sufficiency, and
promote sound public policies
unmatched by any other conceivable
alternative. Under the two-part
determination process, the Tribe must
obtain approval for the compact by
having the Secretary of the Interior
determine that gaming in Barstow is
in the best interest of the Tribe and is
not detrimental to the community. The
Governor must also concur with the
Secretary of the Interior’s determination,
thereby giving the Governor full veto
power over any decision by the Secretary
of the Interior.
When the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
was enacted in 1988, Congress
articulated the purpose of the Act as a
means of “promoting tribal economic
development, self-sufficiency, and strong
tribal governments.” In drafting the Act,
its framers clearly understood that where
a tribe had a good reason – a legitimate
need – to game off-reservation, and
where the local and state governments
supported such off-reservation
development, it should be allowed.
In the case of tribes such as Los Coyotes
with reservations that are not suitable
for development, this two-part
determination process is the only viable
mechanism by which disadvantaged
tribes can lift themselves out of
generations of grinding poverty.
It should be noted the two-part
determination process includes strict
safeguards against “reservation
shopping,” and as a result, only five
tribes in the entire nation have
successfully completed the process.
Today, there is almost no development on
the Los Coyotes reservation.
Los Coyotes have ties to the Barstow
area that date back many generations.
Developing a Casino in Partnership with the City of Barstow
Community Support
City Council Support
For almost a decade, the Los Coyotes and the City
of Barstow have been working together to pursue a
casino development project that could provide jobs
and revenue to both communities.
In June of 2004, the city and the Tribe signed an
historic Municipal Service Agreement (MSA) that
provided a foundation for a partnership to
develop a casino in Barstow that will provide 2,500
new jobs in the local community.
Other highlights of the MSA include:
= 4.3% net revenue sharing to the City of Barstow
= $40,000 per year for a problem gambling program
= 50% of the cost for a new EMS vehicle
= Firefighter training
= Local hiring and job training at the casino resort
= Compliance with all local building codes
On December 18, 2006, the Barstow City Council
unanimously passed a resolution supporting the state
gaming compact for the Los Coyotes Band of
Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians.
On June 6, 2006, 81% of Barstow voters rejected a
ballot measure that could have blocked the Los
Coyotes casino resort from being developed in
Barstow.
By rejecting this measure, Barstow voters
resoundingly affirmed their enthusiastic support for
this gaming and resort project in their community.
Mayor Lawrence Dale said, “This landslide defeat
sends a clear message that Barstow supports the
Governor’s compacts with the Los Coyotes Tribe.”
www.BarstowCasinoProject.com