"As the election season heats up, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is seeking to heal rifts with a number of political enemies, among them, certain powerful Indian tribes. That's a good thing up to a point.

The line is whether the governor backs away from promises he's made to protect the interests of non-Indian citizens from the negative impacts of Indian gambling's massive expansion in California.

On May 10, the governor met with leaders of the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations (TASIN), his most vocal tribal opponents. The TASIN tribes are among the biggest contributors to state campaigns and will likely be a big player in the gubernatorial contest in November.

Those who've worked to craft better protections for local governments, workers, patrons and other interests watched that meeting with some concern. Yolo County Supervisor Mike McGowan, a longtime leader in this arena, acknowledged that the meeting "has raised a couple of eyebrows. ... This is the campaign season and we've seen how that works.""

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Editorial: Indian gaming worries (The Sacramento Bee 5/15)
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