The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, a Southern California tribe, which operates the Chumash Casino and Resort, recently welcomed a new chairman, Kenneth Kahn.
The 39-year-old Kahn was elected three months ago of the 140-member tribe, whose reservation is 114 acres along Highway 246. The successful casino reportedly pays a monthly dividend of $30,000 per month per member.
He succeeds Vincent Armenta, who led the tribe for 17 years until his surprise resignation last March.
Many hope that the popular and well-spoken Kahn will smooth over the tribe rocky relations with the surrounding neighbors, especially Santa Barbara County. Although Armenta helped pioneer the tribe’s building of its bingo hall, which then blossomed eventually into a 12-story resort, he is sometimes seen as lacking diplomatic skills.
As when he accused the Board of Supervisors of bringing the tribe to a “watering hole,” for discussions about a piece of non-reservation land that the tribe wants to develop, but “if we don’t drink the poisoned water,” to “shoot us in the back of the head when we leave.”
The tribe has petitioned to put 1,400 acres that it acquired in 2010 for $40 million into trust—something the County bitterly opposes. The tribe says it needs the land for tribal housing, especially for elders.
Residents of the area fear that the area will be urbanized. The County has filled an appeal with the federal government protesting the annexation attempt.
The tenor of those discussions may alter under Kahn, who was first elected to tribal government when he was 25, 14 years ago.
During that time Kahn has become known as the friendly face of the tribe, the man who represents the tribe in public and who occasionally hands out checks to nonprofits and other organizations.
Meanwhile, for the County to support the land into trust of the 1,400 acres the tribe would have to waive its sovereign immunity. However, many tribal members want to have good relations with their neighbors.
There are some cracks appearing in the longstanding animosity between tribe and county. After a decade of refusing to meet with tribal leaders as equals, two county supervisors agreed to a meeting with Kahn and Armenta. No deal was reached.
