Coachella Valley breathed a collective sigh of relief Wednesday after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger authorized $30 million in Indian gaming-funded grants to cities and counties.

“Any time we can get money from the tribe it's good news,” said Jason Simpson, assistant city manager of Desert Hot Springs.

“There are a lot of people who were waiting for this news,” said Kathy Mitten, assistant to the Rancho Mirage city manager.

This was one of several budget bills the governor left behind when he went overseas this month, making officials worry the money could be withheld — again.
The $30 million is a restoration of what was supposed to be in the Special Distribution Fund in fiscal 2008.

No money made it to the cities last year, either.

Tribes pay into this fund annually with gaming profits. The majority is set aside for communities that bear the brunt of casino impacts.

Within the Coachella Valley, Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage qualify because of nearby casinos operated by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians or the Twentynine Palms Band of Mission Indians.

Based on what was paid out in fiscal 2009, the Inland Empire should get about $14 million.

Palm Springs lost $800,000 used to pay three firefighters and three police officers when the state pulled the funding, City Manager David Ready said.
He's hopeful they'll get all $800,000 back, but there are still a few hoops his and other cities have to jump through.

“I don't want to be presumptuous,” Ready said.

Mitten said Rancho Mirage has applied for $434,000 to fund emergency preparedness around the Agua Caliente casino, while Simpson said Desert Hot Springs is vying for about $100,000 in qualified projects.

This year's formula for how much money each tribe has to dole out has not been released by the state controller's office but it has been based on the number of gaming machines.

Cities have already sent their applications in to the tribes, in case the money did surface. Now, the tribes must decide which applications to sponsor, based on the available money.

A committee of tribal and county leaders then sends the final selections to the state.

Ready said he was grateful to everyone who had worked to bring the funding back to the cities, including local tribes.