By California Political Desk
The five California Indian tribes with gaming compacts amended in
2004 have remitted $25.2 million to the state as their quarterly
payment to finance a transportation construction bond.
The January 2 payments by the tribes, all members of the California
Tribal Business Alliance, bring the total of their payments to the
state to more than $159 million since the compact amendments took
effect.
The California Tribal Business Alliance members make more payments
to the state than the combined total of all other 56 California tribes
with casinos.
The member tribes of the CTBA will make additional quarterly
payments of approximately $8 million on February 1 to the state's
general fund and to a special fund for sharing gaming revenues with
non-gaming and small-gaming tribes.
It is the state's intent to use the tribes' collective annual bond
payments of $100.8 million to sell a revenue bond of approximately $1
billion to relieve the state's general fund debt to the Traffic Relief
Congestion Fund and the Transportation Deferred Investment Fund and to
provide funding for some 143 stalled highway and public transit
projects.
The amended compacts are in effect until 2030. They are between the
state and the Pala Band of Mission Indians, the Pauma Band of Luiseño
Indians, the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians, the United Auburn Indian
Community, and the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians.
Under the amended agreements, the tribes will pay the state at least
$130 million per year for the next 25 years. The pacts also guarantee
increased protections for casino patrons and workers, the environment,
and local communities.
The five tribes and the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians formed the
California Tribal Business Alliance in 2004 for the purpose of
establishing alliances and partnerships with other mainstream,
non-gaming business organizations, taking an interest in issues that
affect the quality of life in California, and developing mutually
respectful government-to-government relationships with state and local
governments.
