The troubled Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians in Northern California returned to normal last week after two members of its seven-member tribal council peacefully evacuated the tribal business center that the occupied for several days.
Two council members, Amanda Ramirez and Charles Sargosa accuse the other five members: Tex McDonald, Monica Davis, Vernon King, Lynda Appling and Donna Featherstone, of ethics violations.
The two accusers agreed to leave the building without taking any documents with them. The other five members later searched the building to assure themselves that they didn’t take any papers.
The accusers had used sympathizers and relatives to help lock the other council members out of the buildings.
According to Davis, “The gaming commission was involved in locking the tribal council out. The tribal gaming commission has no authority over the council so the fact that they helped lock us out was appalling to us.”
This last episode is probably the mildest so far in an ongoing feud between two political factions that led to intervention by the federal government several weeks ago.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to the latest conflict, but only to maintain the peace, according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office.
The operations of the tribe’s casino were not compromised during the incident.
