Barwest spokesman exploits Indian circumstances once again with half-truths

Barwest says: [Tom] "Shields, however, said that Propositions 5 and 1A included provisions for off-reservation gaming. He said members of the Los Coyotes feel that other tribes used them in the ad campaign for those measures by depicting their poverty to convince people of the need for gaming income. ‘They were the face of the Native Americans,’ he said.” Desert Dispatch, 04.11.07

Background: In the 7-10 years since those measures were approved by California’s voters, six other neighboring tribes in north/northeastern San Diego County have successfully negotiated Compacts with the State of California and opened a spectrum of casino resort properties on their existing reservations.

The newest northeastern San Diego County casino, located less than 10 miles away from the Los Coyotes Reservation, celebrated its grand opening this month on the Santa Ysabel Reservation. That tribe’s challenges are even greater than the Los Coyotes’ but they have not been granted any special favors (they are one of San Diego's largest tribes and the poorest; there are three times the number of residents living on their smaller mountainous reservation; they have significantly larger general membership; and that reservation didn’t get funding for electricity until five years after the Los Coyotes, etc.).

The Los Coyotes have reported they didn’t partner with Barwest until 2003 (five years after passage of Prop 5) and then it was after the Detroit-based developer had already identified Barstow as a target market to expand their Michigan-based gaming empire. Barwest representatives had shopped their proposal to various southern California tribes before adopting the Los Coyotes Tribe as its Barstow partner. All parties involved have known Barstow was a long shot from the start. Governor Schwarzenegger had originally denied Los Coyotes a Compact for Barstow (2004) but Barwest didn’t reveal that to the public for a year.

At any point in the last decade, Los Coyotes could have more easily developed a modest casino on its 25,000-acre Reservation. The Warner Springs Ranch Resort with its 248 individual casitas, 18-hole golf course, spa and gliderport is located at the gateway to the Los Coyotes Reservation attracting visitors year round. NBC’s Today Show co-host Lester Holt visited Warner Springs last December to do produce a feature segment on the area.