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Dear Friends: Welcome to the website for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. We invite you to browse through the various sections on our site and learn about our tribe. Our tribe has unfortunately had to battle tribal opponents from the beginning, but lately the battle has become more heated. A group of individuals who have fought the tribe on everything from our casino to our hotel to our liquor license for our restaurant is at it again – and this time they have taken it too far, in our opinion. They are becoming more desperate because the community, the county government and the media are all tired of listening to their constant attempts to cry wolf. In their desperation, they have taken to the streets to gather signatures on petitions to send the Governor to stop us from adding 5,000 more machines. The problem? We are not even in negotiations with the Governor. This extreme group thinks that the elements of the re-negotiated compacts from other tribes automatically apply to us. They are wrong – once again. Yet, in spite of their lack of facts, they continue to use scare tactics to bully individuals into signing their petitions. To read our response to the extreme group’s claims, read our full page ad by clicking here. The ad ran in the Sunday, March 18 and Monday, March 19 editions of the Santa Barbara News Press, the Santa Maria Times and the Tuesday, March 20 edition of the Santa Ynez Valley News. Click here to read our Q & A in response to the propaganda that the extreme group is peddling. On a positive note, the economic impact of our Chumash Casino Resort has been quite remarkable. If you took the total direct impact from the Resort to Santa Barbara County residents and businesses and consider the multiplying effect of these dollars on the local economy, the total economic impact is estimated at $436 billion over the next 50 years. This is an important number because it demonstrates how much our tribe has contributed, and will contribute, to the local economy. It also directly contradicts tribal opponents’ claims that the tribe will be a drain on the community, costing the county millions over the next 50 years. Quite the contrary. The positive economic impact of our Resort is dramatic – and it’s very real. Information regarding our positive economic impact can be found on our website by clicking on the Economic Impact button. We are excited that we have an opportunity to share our way of life with you and hope you learn more about our Tribe by fully exploring our website. You can also view our two brochures by clicking, “Our Tribal Community,” and “Realizing Our Vision.” The first brochure provides information on our tribe – tribal government, history, culture, etc. along with a helpful section on dispelling myths regarding Indian gaming. The second brochure tells the story of the Chumash Casino Resort construction project, including fun construction facts and figures on both the casino and hotel construction.
Sincerely, Vincent
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