In 2015, a congressional subcommittee, acting at the behest of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, threatened county government into “negotiations.” During these negotiations, Chairman Vincent Armenta restated the threat that our community’s time was running out; that the tribe would eliminate the public and go directly to the federal government to get what it wants.
To date, what has been the result of these negotiations?
Clearly laid out in the Term Sheet Proposals & Reponses Worksheet are the county’s offers and the tribe's responses. Beyond question, the county gave and gave, while the tribe did not bend on its demands: 1,400 acres into the reservation; no binding agreement with the county regarding future development, uses, taxes, or restriction on the tribe’s gambling ventures. The tribe did agree to pay a small percentage of property taxes for 10 years; far less than $1 million a year for 10 years the tribe asserts it offered back in 2012. In essence, negotiations led to a negative result for the county.