Santa Ynez Valley residents packed St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Church Monday evening to blast Santa Barbara county supervisors Joan Hartmann and Das Williams on the outline of a preliminary agreement reached with the Chumash.
For six months, Hartmann and Williams met privately with Chumash Chair Ken Kahn and Vice Chair Raul Armenta to negotiate land-use and financial matters regarding Camp 4, the 1,400-acre property east of Highway 154. The land, which the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has petitioned to annex into its reservation since 2011, has caused years of contention between the tribe and Santa Ynez Valley residents. As a sovereign nation, the Chumash would not be required to pay taxes or adhere to the county’s building codes.
This new deal, which still must be approved by both the Board of Supervisors and the Chumash Business Committee, could build 143 residences and a tribal center on Camp 4. The Chumash must comply with the existing Williamson Act contract, which prohibits development on open spaces, until it expires in 2023. At that point, or upon completion of the first house, the Chumash would pay $178,000 annually to the county. The tribe would sign a limited waiver of sovereign immunity. Santa Barbara County would drop its ongoing federal lawsuit against the tribe. The deal would last until 2040.