A power struggle continued Friday within an Indian tribe hoping to build an East Bay casino, with tribal leaders denying claims that they've been ousted by members who accuse them of getting too cozy with investors. 

"Contrary to recent media reports, the current Tribal Council of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, legally elected by the tribe's General Council and recognized by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, remains the lone recognized governing body of the Scotts Valley Band," said a news release issued Friday by tribal chairman Don Arnold. 

Some members of the Lakeport-based Scotts Valley Band met last Saturday and later claimed to have voted out Arnold, vice chairman Christa Ray, secretary Gloria Salas and council member Gabriel Ray. Tribal member Les Miller of Alameda said the meeting was called in accordance with the tribe's constitution, after the circulation of a petition signed by 27 tribal members.

That petition had alleged that the four officials "have committed acts which are contrary to the best interests of the Tribe and have abused the power and privilege of their office. 

"These Tribal Council Members have been dishonest with the Members and with the public on the true ancestral origin of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians for the purpose of gaining a richer 'Casino Market Area' in the City of Richmond, in the Bay Area," it claimed. 

But Arnold's statement Friday said this group that claims to have ousted him "were in clear violation of our Constitution and have absolutely no bearing on official tribal business, our tribal government or the future direction of our tribe.
"The elected and recognized Tribal Council of the Scotts Valley Band has been, and will continue to be, committed to carrying out the will of the people, while upholding the principles and doctrine of our Tribal Constitution," Arnold's statement concluded. 

"They've got a lot of wishful thinking on their part," Miller retorted Friday.
Miller said a tribal meeting scheduled for Sunday at Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa in Kelseyville is sure to be tumultuous, with two factions of the tribe each claiming control. 

The strife almost surely will enter an arbitration process through the federal courts, Miller said, but because the Scotts Valley Band isn't formally organized under the Indian Reorganization Act, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs can advise but not directly intervene. 

A Florida-based development group, with which the tribal council has worked since 2002, closed a deal in January to buy a 30-acre tract of land at Richmond Parkway and Parr Boulevard in the North Richmond area of western, unincorporated Contra Costa County. 

Led by wealthy developer Alan Ginsburg, this group had first approached Richmond with a proposal to build a casino resort at one of the city-owned terminals at the Port of Richmond. 

Contact Josh Richman at jrichman@angnewspapers.com .