Lytton Band of Pomo Indians facts for kids
The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Pomo Native Americans. This means the U.S. government officially recognizes them as a Native American nation. They were recognized in the late 1980s. They are direct descendants of two families who lived at the Lytton Rancheria in Healdsburg, California. A rancheria is a small Native American community or settlement. The tribe now has about 275 members. They operate a casino in San Pablo, California. They have also proposed plans to build homes for tribe members, a winery, and a hotel. These new developments would be located west of Windsor, California, in Sonoma County.
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History of the Lytton Band
The Lytton Band was started in 1937 by Bert Steele and his wife. Bert Steele was part Achomawi and part Nomlaki. His wife was Pomo from Bodega Bay. They asked the U.S. Office of Indian Affairs for permission to build on land. This was after Steele's home was destroyed in a flood.
The government set aside 50-acre (200,000 m2) of land north of Healdsburg for Native Americans. Bert Steele, his wife, and his brother-in-law, John Myers, and his wife, Mary Myers Steele, moved there. The Myers were also Pomo from Sonoma. This land became known as the Lytton Rancheria. It gave the tribe its name.
In 1958, the U.S. Congress ended the federal trust for many California Native American groups. This was part of a policy to make Native Americans live like other Americans, called assimilation. The Lytton band was dissolved, and their land was given directly to its members. The government had promised to improve the land, like building roads, but did not. Within a year, the Lytton families who owned the land sold it. Some current tribe members say their ancestors did not understand property taxes and had to sell.
In 1991, the Lytton Band successfully asked the government to restore their tribal status. This meant they were once again officially recognized as a tribe. As of 2005, there were about 275 members in the tribe. Other Pomo groups include the Guideville Band of Pomo Indians and the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians.
Pomoan Languages
The Pomoan languages are a small group of Native Californian languages. They were spoken by the Pomo people. These people used to live in the Russian River valley and around Clear Lake.
Most Pomoan languages are severely endangered. This means very few people still speak them. For example, Kashaya had only a few dozen speakers in the 1990s. Northern Pomo and Northeastern Pomo are believed to be extinct. Most people in the Lytton Rancheria today speak English.
Tribal Government
The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians has its main office in Santa Rosa, CA. The tribe is led by a democratically elected tribal council. They follow a working constitution. The tribe does not share a full list of its members or its constitution with the public. The current Tribal Chairperson is Marjorie Mejia.
Casino in San Pablo
How the Casino was Acquired
The Lytton Band wanted to open a casino. They first tried in American Canyon, but it did not work out. Then, they looked at San Pablo, California, which had a cardroom called Casino San Pablo (CSP). Cardrooms in California are places where people gamble, but the house (the casino) does not bet against the players. Instead, customers pay a set fee to the house for each game they play.
The Lyttons worked with the city of San Pablo and a union. They asked Congressman George Miller for help. They wanted to turn Casino San Pablo into their reservation land. Under a law called the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, only tribes who got their land before 1988 could open casinos on it. The Lyttons had regained their tribal status in 1991, so they were not eligible.
Congressman Miller added a special rule to a bill in 2000. This rule made CSP federal trust land for the Lyttons. It also made it seem like they had acquired the land in 1988. When President Clinton signed this bill, the Lyttons gained the right to turn CSP into a full casino. This meant they could have more profitable games like slot machines and blackjack.
Casino Expansion Plans
To offer certain games like slot machines (called Class III games), Native American casinos need an agreement with the state. This agreement is called a compact. The Lyttons have changed their casino plans many times to try and get such a compact from California. One idea was for the state to give them the only right to have gambling within 35-mile (56 km) of CSP.
After getting CSP, the Lyttons planned to make it much bigger. They wanted to expand it from 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2) to 600,000-square-foot (56,000 m2). This new casino would have had up to 5,000 slot machines. This would have made it larger than the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In 2003, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein was against this plan. She worried that a large casino far from a reservation would strain local resources. She also thought it would cause more traffic and crime. In 2004, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced an agreement for such a casino. But this agreement needed approval from the State Legislature and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Many local leaders opposed the agreement. These included California Assemblywoman Loni Hancock and the mayor of Richmond. Facing opposition from lawmakers, the Lyttons changed their plan. They proposed 2,500 slots instead of 5,000.
In 2005, the San Pablo City Council supported the casino plan. However, the city council in nearby Albany voted against it. U.S. Senator John McCain also criticized the proposed agreement. Tribal spokespeople said the casino was a way to fix past wrongs. They said it would make up for the government ending their tribe's legal status and land. They also stated the casino would create 6,600 jobs. It would also give 25 percent of its gaming money to the city, county, and state.
In August 2005, the Lyttons added 500 "video bingo" machines to CSP. These are called Class II machines and do not need a state compact. By mid-2006, there were over 800 new gaming devices in use.
In 2007, the tribe reached an agreement with Senator Feinstein. The tribe agreed not to try for a larger casino or Class III slot machines. In return, Feinstein dropped her plans for laws that would make it harder for the tribe to offer even their existing Class II games.
Casino Operations
By 2014, the casino was earning more than $180 million each year. Under an agreement from 1999, the tribe pays the city of San Pablo 7.5 percent of its earnings. In 2014, this was over $15 million. This amount is based on the casino being a Class II facility. If it became a Class III casino (like those in Las Vegas), the payment would be much smaller. The tribe does not pay anything to the State of California.
In 2011, about 200 workers at the casino were part of a union. Their average pay was $9.50 per hour. In 2014, the union and the tribe reached an agreement. This agreement included pay raises and helped keep health care costs low for employees.
Charity Work
The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians supports many charities. They currently sponsor:
- Schulz Celebrity Golf Classic
- Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
- Windsor Fire Protection District
- The Boys & Girls Club of Central Sonoma County
- PDI Surgery Center in Windsor
Sonoma County Lands
In 2002, a group of investors bought 50 acres (20 ha) of land west of Windsor, California. The tribe planned to get this land from the investors. They wanted to build homes, a community center, and a ceremonial roundhouse there. The Windsor town council opposed these plans. They wanted to limit development to one home per five acres, as allowed by the county's plan.
In 2009, the tribe asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to take 100 acres (40 ha) of land into federal trust. This means the U.S. government would hold the land for the tribe's benefit. The tribe wanted to build 145 homes and a community center for its members. In May, the Windsor town council voted against the tribe's plans. Tribal representatives said if they could not get water and sewer service from Windsor, they would use well water and build their own sewer plant.
Between 2012 and 2013, the tribe bought more than a dozen properties in Sonoma County. They spent over $47 million. By the end of 2013, they owned about 2,000 acres. This included vineyards and pasture land.
In March 2015, Sonoma County leaders approved an agreement with the tribe. This agreement prevents the tribe from building a casino on these lands. However, it allows them to build a large winery and a 200-room resort. Under this 22-year agreement, the tribe would pay the county $6.1 million for one-time costs. They would also pay the same property taxes and hotel taxes as if the lands were not in federal trust. A tribe representative said future plans might also include building 214 houses.
In May 2015, Congressman Jared Huffman introduced a bill. This bill would take land near Windsor, owned by the tribe, into federal trust. This land would be used for housing and other non-gaming purposes. Huffman said a Congressional act could prevent a casino completely. It could also bring more certainty about what could be built and how any negative effects would be handled. In July, many people attended a Windsor town council meeting to ask the council to oppose Huffman's bill.
The tribe has given millions of dollars to the Windsor school and fire districts. This is to help with any effects from their planned housing project. They are also talking with the town of Windsor to get water and sewer service. Such an agreement would need approval from Windsor voters. This is because the tribal housing project is outside the town’s urban growth boundary (a line that limits where new buildings can go). In exchange, the tribe would build a 30-meter-long pool for the Windsor High School swim team. They would also build a second pool for recreation, restrooms, a changing facility, a community building, and parking near the High School and town center.
