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Elected official called Calif. tribe unsophisticated
Friday, March 5, 2004

Leaders of the Santa Ynez Chumash Tribe of California are calling for the resignation of a county official who said tribal members are "not real sophisticated people" who "don't want to be educated" in a recently published book.

Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor Gail Marshall, who is retiring at the end of the year, gave an interview for the book "New Capitalists: Law, Politics, and Identity Surrounding Casino Gaming on Native Land," by a local professor. In it, she said tribal leaders "are not only uneducated to the actions and reactions to the actions, but they don't want to be educated. You know, they've all got brand new trucks and lots of money; they don't have to be. They're thumbing their nose at everybody."

She also said the gaming is erasing tribal culture. "Because when you get $300,000 a year for sitting on the couch watching a Lakers game, not working, you model that lifestyle to the next generations. I'm not sure what it's going to be like. They'll have the money but I wonder what else," she said.

In a statement to The Lompoc Record, Marshall did not dispute making the statements. But she said she meant that tribal leaders were not sophisticated in "their understanding of how local governments are funded" and the impacts of their decisions.

Get the Story:
Chumash demand Marshall resign (The Lompoc Record 3/4)

Relevant Links:
Gail Marshall - http://www.gailmarshall.org

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