A political rift within the tribe operating the Thunder Valley Casino Resort is fueling acrimony over a $1 million sponsorship pledge for the Sacramento Kings and triggering a recall drive against tribal council members.
The turmoil within the United Auburn Indian Community, whose Placer County casino is one of the nation's richest tribal resorts, is centered on internal issues that include disputes over distribution of casino income and payments to a tribal attorney.
But an apparent lightning rod in the recall effort – announced Monday against all five members of the United Auburn tribal council – is the tribe's decision to pledge $1 million to support a community drive to keep the Kings in town.
A tribal faction, including former council chairwoman Jessica Tavares, complained in a news release that the tribal council made the pledge "without first notifying or obtaining approval from the tribe."
The group took issue with the tribal council pledging to support the pro basketball team while apparently denying financial support for a tribal school and drug rehabilitation services for tribal members.
The faction also blasted leaders for authorizing generous payments to a tribal attorney, Howard Dickstein, who couldn't be reached for comment.
"It's time for this outrageous rip-off of our tribe to end, and those who committed it to be removed from the council," a tribal elder, Dolly Suehead, said in a statement circulated by Sacramento political consultant Steve Maviglio.
But the faction's complaint over the $1 million pledge to the Kings had Maviglio, a campaign consultant for Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, back-pedaling later Monday after angry phone calls from the mayor's staff.
The sponsorship pledge from United Auburn came as members of the Maloof family, owners of the Kings, were considering moving the franchise to Anaheim. In April, Johnson announced he had helped secure $10 million in corporate sponsorships and ticket sales – with United Auburn's contribution among the largest – to keep the team in town.
Maviglio said bad feelings over the money pledged to the Kings represent "a tiny slice" of disputes over "substantial" issues dividing the tribe. The rival faction alleges that the tribal council used the pledge to the Kings as an excuse to deny tribal expenditures.
"The concern isn't about the donation," Maviglio said. "It's about being an excuse for not funding the school and other tribal priorities."
Recently, Doug Elmets, spokesman for the Thunder Valley Casino, said the tribe was indeed concerned about its sponsorship pledge to the Kings. With the NBA locked in a bitter labor dispute, no money has been handed over so far.
Elmets said the tribe was reassessing its options as a result of the lockout, which has forced cancellation of numerous Kings games and put the professional basketball season in jeopardy.
Elmets said Monday that the tribal council had pledged to help the Kings by joining in "the community's support to keep the Kings in Sacramento" and pursuing "an outstanding advertising opportunity for the Thunder Valley Casino" through sponsorships with the NBA team.
But with the NBA work stoppage, Elmets said, "the reality is this may be all moot," because "the NBA and the players have not been able to come to an agreement and the season appears to be whittling away."
The political rift within the United Auburn community comes as its casino has hired new employees and seen a spike in business this year after opening a 300-room hotel resort with a spa and amphitheater. Before the new development opened a year ago, casino profits were estimated at more than $350 million.
Yet, in the recall petition obtained by The Bee, rival tribal members claimed they were banished or denied their shares of profits for speaking out against votes of the tribal council. They also disputed a tribal financial audit.
"The aforementioned conduct is so inconsistent with the tribe's values and contrary to its interests that we have lost confidence in all current tribal council members," said the petition.
In a letter to current tribal chairman David Keyser, Tavares said 75 of the tribe's 186 voting members signed petitions, meeting a threshold of 40 percent of voting members to schedule a recall vote in December. Keyser was unavailable for comment.
Elmets characterized the rift as internal tribal politics. "These types of disagreements are not uncommon in Indian country," he said.
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