The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved its official response to news of a proposed expansion of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians reservation.
On Tuesday, the board approved a letter regarding the tribe’s plans to place its San Carlos property in a federal trust and detailing how the move will affect the county moving forward.
The supervisors approved the letter on a 4-0 vote. Second District Supervisor Laura Capps was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
The San Carlos property is a 365-acre piece of land in the Santa Ynez Valley. The Bureau of Indian Affairs alerted the county last month that the tribe had applied to place the property in a trust.
If the application is approved, the property would fall under the direct control of the tribal government. That would exempt it from state and local authority and remove it from tax rolls and local land-use laws.
The draft letter raised concerns about lost revenue, the tribe’s development plans, gaming, and agreements over roads and trails. The letter also asked that the tribe continue working with the county in the future.
Kenneth Kahn, chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, told the board over Zoom that including the property into the larger reservation would allow the tribe to plan for the community and care for the lands.
Kahn said he respected the county’s concern over losing tax revenue, and that the tribe is open to discussing service agreements between the two governments.
In its draft letter, the county stated that losing the property from its tax rolls would result in an estimated loss of $141,958 in revenue.
The county also emphasized its intent to continue providing services, such as law enforcement, fire, emergency medical and road services. However, it stated that it would no longer receive any revenue to offset the costs of those services.
Kahn added that the property is being placed in a trust for non-gaming purposes, and that there are currently no development plans.
“As you finalize your letter, I ask you to weigh our record alongside the concerns you raise, and to recognize our tribe’s right and ability to govern our lands responsibly,” Kahn said.
“I look forward to continuing our work together, and I really appreciate the opportunity to share with you today.”
Kahn also apologized that the county had heard about the application through the BIA rather than him. He said the notice to the county happened sooner than he expected.
Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann moved that the letter ask for a liaison between the county and the tribe.
She also recommended including that the tribe has a history of following through on its promises and is a leader in sustainability. Hartmann said trust between the two sides has grown under Kahn.
“They have given their word, and you can count on that,” Hartmann said. “The projects that they do are first rate.”
Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson said that, as the current chair, he would usually sign a formal letter from the Board of Supervisors, but he asked Hartmann if she would like to sign it herself.
He credited her with championing the issue.
Nelson also expressed disappointment that the county and the tribe could not work together to reach a mutually beneficial place. Nelson has supported streamlining county processes in the past to make development easier.
However, Nelson said he did not blame the tribe for choosing to take an easier path.
“We are a very difficult process to get through in our county,” Nelson said. “I dream of a day when we get to a place where it could be easier to go through our development process, and so that the tribe might have chosen that route.”
