Riverside County officials and members of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Tribal Council on Wednesday signed a land-use agreement to mutually make decisions on permits and zoning, according to a county spokesman.
The agreement will create a cooperative approach to land-use planning on non-Indian-owned land within the boundaries of the tribe's reservation.

“With this agreement in place, both governments can work cooperatively to review projects and advance sound growth management, zoning and land use planning,” county Supervisor John Benoit said. “This historic agreement strengthens our relationship between the Tribe and Riverside County and arrives after a lot of dedicated efforts by county staff, the tribe and my predecessor Roy Wilson.”

The contract will ideally reduce unnecessary administrative duplication, minimize dual application fees for land permits and allow for informed decisions with the joint review of county and tribal governments, said Benoit's spokesman Darin Schemmer.

“This long-awaited document will join the two parties so that we can begin working hand in hand,” said Raymond Torres, vice chairman for the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. “This agreement will help us to work efficiently and effectively as government and county.”

The agreement is one of the first of its kind between the county and a tribal government, according to Schemmer.

The signing ceremony will take place at the TorresMartinez Tribal Hall, 66-725 Martinez Road in Thermal.