Inland tribes Ante up Big Bucks in Election Races

Inland Southern California tribes poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into campaign coffers before the March 5 primary election, flexing their ever-growing political muscle.

Six tribes in Riverside and San Bernardino counties donated a combined total of $1.1 million to races ranging from Indio City Council contests to Gov. Davis' multimillion-dollar campaign, according to the latest campaign-contribution reports for 2001-2002 filed with the Secretary of State's office.

Another report, released Monday by California Common Cause, found that one of those same tribes was among the state's top 10 contributors to legislative campaigns in 1999-2000.

The hefty donations are the latest sign of the growing clout of California tribes, most of whom had been mired in poverty before they opened gambling operations. Inland Southern California tribes paved the way for legalized Indian casinos nationwide by taking the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court 15 years ago and have played an increasingly powerful role in local, state and federal elections in recent years.

"They wield considerable amount of influence," said Fred Jones, attorney for National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion, a group that filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a lawsuit by card clubs challenging the tribes' monopoly on Las Vegas-style gambling in California. A verdict from a federal judge in the case is expected soon.

Top 1999-2000 donors

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in Palm Springs gave $1,050,805 to state legislative campaigns in 1999-2000, putting it ninth on Common Cause's list.

The California Correctional Peace Officers Association was the top contributor with $2.3 million, followed by the California Teachers Association with $2 million, Philip Morris Cos. in third with $1.3 million. The Service Employees International Union gave $1.2 million and the California Medical Association gave just under $1.2 million. Edison International, Pacific Gas & Electric and the California Dental Association gave about $1.1 million.

The California School Employees Association was tenth with $1,050,135.

Tribal influence

The influence of Indian money was felt this month in the 36th state Senate GOP primary. Murrieta Assemblyman Dennis Hollingsworth received both a $2,500 direct donation and another $35,000 in independent expenditures from the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians near Temecula to help carry him to victory over Assemblywoman Charlene Zettel of Poway.

"I think it was a very important component and was especially helpful to the campaign," Hollingsworth said of the independent expenditure that paid for two mailers in the race.

Zettel received $2,000 from the San Manuel Band of Mission Serrano Indians near Highland.

Campaign reform

The 2001-2002 tribal donations follow the enactment of a California campaign finance regulation that caps individual contributions to legislative candidates at $3,000 and donations from small contributor committees at $6,000. Tribes have said the state regulation, approved by voters in 2000, doesn't apply to them.

Separate federal campaign finance reform legislation is expected to pass the U.S. Senate by the end of the week. President Bush has said he will sign the measure that would ban the hundreds of millions of dollars in unregulated soft money donations that corporations, unions and individuals give to national political parties. Tribes would be exempt from the federal measure because they are sovereign governments.

Tribal sovereignty

Jones said the tribes should abide by the state campaign contribution limits that affect other donors. If tribes want to use their sovereign status as an excuse to not abide by campaign finance laws, he said, then they should not be contributing at all because "our laws prohibit foreign nationals from contributing."

"They're trying to have it both ways on this," he said. "Are they going to live by our laws or are they going to be excluded from the process?"

Greg Cervantes, director of special affairs for the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians near Indio, said anyone who has a problem with tribal donations should take it up with Congress.

"It's the Congress that sets the rules and regulations for tribes across the nation," he said Monday. "As long as the Federal Elections Commission continues to state what they believe are the guidelines for Native American tribes then we abide by those rules and regulations."

The Cabazon tribe files campaign finance statements with the California Secretary of State's office, Cervantes said, because "we think it's good ethics." The tribe, as do other Inland tribes, maintains that its filings are voluntary.

Richard Milanovich, Agua Caliente chairman, said anyone who criticizes how the tribes handle campaign contributions is simply intent on whittling away tribal sovereignty.

"We are a bona fide government. There are those individuals who refuse to accept that fact and do their utmost to undermine anything that we may have regarding our sovereignty," he said. "They will throw up so many different smokescreens in order to divert attention from what they're actually trying to do, and that is to take away our sovereignty."

Agua Caliente gave $155,300, with its largest donations of $25,000 going to Gov. Davis and Attorney General Bill Lockyer's re-election campaigns.

The tribe was not the most generous Inland tribe this season, however. That distinction goes to San Manuel, which spread $374,725 up and down the state.

Reach Michelle DeArmond at (909) 368-9441 or mdearmond@pe.com

Reach Robert T. Garrett at (916) 445-9973 or rtgarrett@pe.com