The formerly impoverished Chumas Indian tribe now inspires fear for the region's wealthy homeowners over casino resport plans.
"Today, the Chumash inspire more fear than pity. A new Concerned Citizens group has emerged not to help the tribe, but to fight its development plans. In a stunning reversal, the region's wealthy landowners now view the Indians as a threat to their way of life.
The tribe's casino resort, big enough to house two Costco Wholesale outlets, is the focus of much of the agitation. Residents complain that traffic is choking scenic highways, that noisy buses keep neighbors awake at all hours and that the glow of casino lights has obscured the stars in the night sky.
More worrisome, locals say, are the tribe's plans for further development, which call for an opulent resort with several hundred luxury homes on a swath of open farmland near the reservation."
Thanks to Laura Kranz
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