Pomo hopes

                  Tribe's plans for Windsor land face
                  bevy of questions, emotions

                  July 3, 2001
                  Press Democrat Editorial

                  Issues of tribal rights and gambling are emotionally charged enough without
                  adding such political hot-buttons as water hookups, increased density and
                  traffic to the mix.

                  Residents of Windsor and members of the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians
                  are destined to confront all of the above in light of a Pomo plan to acquire
                  50 acres of land just west of the city limits.

                  This proposal comes with a complex and sensitive past -- and faces a
                  similar future. The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians is among three Sonoma
                  County tribes that were disbanded by the U.S. government four decades
                  ago and still owns no land.

                  The Lytton Band recently received Congressional approval to run a casino
                  in San Pablo, and, although that proposal still needs the governor's OK, the
                  tribe plans to use profits from the casino to build 50 homes off Windsor
                  River Road.

                  Neighbors there, however, are understandably concerned about how this
                  will work. The property is just outside Windsor's urban growth boundary
                  and is only zoned for 10 homes. Questions also remain about water and
                  sewer connections, traffic and school construction. Although tribal leaders
                  vow not to build a casino there, neighbors know that once the land is
                  declared a reservation, Windsor will have little say over what can be done
                  with the property.

                  At the same time, the neighbors and Sonoma County officials need to
                  answer another challenging question: if this is not the best place for the
                  Lytton Pomos tribal land, then where? The government has already
                  determined that the Lytton Pomos, who regained their tribal status in 1991
                  under a settlement with the Interior Department, were mistreated and
                  deserve a place to call their own. But where?

                  Discord may be an inevitable obstacle, but it's not a necessary outcome.

                  Windsor residents want to protect what they have. The Lytton Pomos want
                  to build what they don't have -- self-sufficiency and a home.

                  These are not mutually exclusive. But they will require work, patience and a
                  respect for opposing viewpoints.