In early 2010, the Santa Ynez Band of Mission Indians applied to the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) for an additional expansion of sales of alcohol at their Chumash Casino and Resort. The ABC decision to grant a permit for expansion of sales is a process that includes input from the sheriff, board of supervisors and community.

There was significant concern over this expansion request. The supervisors and the sheriff filed protests, along with 115 community members. Community protests cited danger to public health and safety because of the hundreds of police reports written on incidences of alcohol and drugs, weapons, possession of alcohol by minors, and the proximity to four schools and increased traffic danger on 154.

Regardless of these protests, in October, the ABC allowed an interim permit for expansion of sales of alcohol. Thus far the ABC has found no reason to stop their approval process.

In February 2011, in an investigation on crime at the casino and ABC decision-making, Mr. Leslie Pond of the ABC said that the supervisors and sheriff had dropped their protests after agreement on a set of conditions.
A week after the discussion with Mr. Pond, notification was sent that the supervisors’ agenda included discussion over continuing, or dropping, their protest, contradicting what Mr. Pond had reported.

Supervisor Farr was contacted and told that Mr. Pond stated the supervisors and sheriff had already dropped their protest. She replied that they had not.
Mr. Leslie Pond was again contacted and told exactly what Supervisor Farr had said. He stated, repeatedly, that the county CEO and county counsel instructed him that the supervisors and sheriff had dropped their protests after agreement on a number of conditions.

Mr. Pond said that the dropping of the supervisors’ and sheriff’s protests influenced his decision to allow the expansion of alcohol sales to go forward, and that if the supervisors and sheriff had not dropped their protests they should call him. Supervisor Doreen Farr was alerted to Mr. Pond’s reply. She contacted the county CEO. The CEO’s office stated they did not tell the ABC that the protests were dropped.

Supervisor Farr said a representative from the CEO’s office was going to call ABC and try to communicate directly with Mr. Pond about this issue. Farr requested a community member contact the sheriff.

It is undisclosed whether the CEO’s office did communicate with Mr. Pond, and if the Chumash Casino tribal leaders were in communication with the county CEO or ABC and had anything to do with this confusion.
The board of supervisors hearing on the Chumash Alcohol expansion protest is scheduled for April 19.

POLO, Preservation of Los Olivos, is a grass-roots citizen group that researches and educates the community about impacts arising from land in federal trust, casino tribes and Indian policy, and the influence of casino tribes on government agencies and legislators in their decision-making.