Let’s set the record straight on Camp 4
By Santa Ynez Valley Star Staff · Tue Mar 17 2020
By Bill Krauch
As former U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”
Concerning Camp 4 and the pending legislation that solely benefits the Chumash at the expense of Santa Ynez Valley residents and county taxpayers, there is confusion between facts and opinion.
Let’s set the record straight.
It is a fact that trust status for Camp 4 means the tribe can evade all local zoning and development regulations. The Chumash can develop and build whatever they like regardless of the many negative impacts to surrounding non-tribal property owners.
Trust status for the Chumash means the land, and anything developed on it, is tax-exempt yet entitled to have all the public services and use all the infrastructure for which non-Indian taxpayers are obligated to pay. In other words, non-tribal taxpayers are subsidizing the further enrichment of the Chumash.
A bill is pending in Congress that would ratify the last-minute action by the previous administration to approve the 138-person Santa Ynez Chumash Tribe’s application for the Camp 4 fee-to-trust land acquisition.
This bill references the agreement between the Chumash and Santa Barbara County that purportedly constrains the use of Camp 4 by the tribe. However, this deal falls short in many respects. Let me just highlight a couple.