NewsPast Press Releases 2007
October 25, 2007 -- Pechanga Indian Reservation, CA
Pechanga Announces Actions to Assist Fire Evacuees
For Immediate Release
The Pechanga Band of Luiseņo Indians today announced the following actions in response to the fire-related evacuations affecting North San Diego County and portions of Riverside County.
The Pechanga Tribe will be donating $100,000 to support fire relief efforts. The Pechanga Resort & Casino has given out more than 200 rooms each night on both Tuesday and Wednesday at no cost or discounted rates to families displaced by the fires and to accommodate firefighters.
August 21, 2007 -- San Jacinto, CA
Tribal Alliance Opposes Referendums on Gaming AgreementsFor Immediate Release
The Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations (TASIN), an intergovernmental association of 14 federally recognized tribal governments throughout Southern California, announced that its members voted yesterday to oppose the referendums that would overturn agreements between four tribal governments and the State of California.
August 21, 2007 -- Sacramento, CA
CNIGA Votes Unanimously to Oppose Efforts to Overturn CompactsFor Immediate Release
The California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA), the largest regional Indian gaming association in the country, has unanimously voted to support four Southern California tribes' and oppose any efforts to overturn the compacts they negotiated with the State of California.
July 27, 2007 -- Pechanga Indian Reservation, CA
Pechanga responds to referendum to block billions for CaliforniaTribal Chairman Mark Macarro today issued the following statement in response to a referendum filed by the HERE labor union and Bay Meadows to block billions for California's general fund.
"This is an attack on the people, an attack on the governor, and an attack on both houses of the legislature. Blocking the compacts and the billions they will generate for the state only hurts California's most vulnerable citizens."
"It is truly unfortunate that rather than working together, HERE and this racetrack operator are pursuing the politics of divisiveness. We will do what it takes to protect our agreement with the state."
June 29, 2007 -- Pechanga Indian Reservation, CA
Statement from Pechanga Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro on the Assembly's passage of the Amended Pechanga Tribal-State Compact:"Yesterday Pechanga commemorated the 125th anniversary of our reservation. Today, the Assembly ratified our amended compact which will be a cornerstone for future generations of Pechanga."
"We look forward to the opportunities and certainty this compact provides Pechanga, California, and our local community."
APRIL 19, 2007 -- Pechanga Indian Reservation, CA
Senate Approves Pechanga Compact AmendmentFor Immediate Release
Statement of Pechanga Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro
"We're glad the Senate has approved this agreement. Clearly it benefits the state, protects workers rights, and respects Pechanga's efforts to run a successful enterprise."
FEBRUARY 20, 2007 -- Pechanga Indian Reservation, CA
For immediate ReleaseMiiyu (greetings): KNBC news tonight (2/20/07) will be running a story about tribal membership. We would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight and provide you with the facts concerning the disenrollment of certain individuals from our Tribe. The integrity of tribal citizenship has nothing to do with gaming or money. In fact, disenrollments occurred at Pechanga long before we ever had a casino. Governments need the ability to correct past errors to protect the integrity of their citizenry; that is what Pechanga did. Following thorough hearings and investigations, the Tribe's Enrollment Committee found some individuals were erroneously enrolled and these people were consequently disenrolled. The responsibility of determining who is and is not a citizen of a tribe falls squarely on Indian tribes. For more than a century the courts have consistently upheld this inherent duty of Indian tribes to determine their citizenship. Indeed, the U.S. Supreme Court has held "[a] tribe's right to define its own citizenship for tribal purposes has long been recognized as central to its existence as an independent political community."A Message from the Pechanga Tribal Council