Supervisors to Appeal Chumash Expansion

After the urging of Santa Ynez residents and businesspeople, the Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 (with 1st District Supervisor Salud Carbajal against) on 9/10 to appeal the June decision by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to approve a Tribal Consolidation and Acquisition Area Plan. If the plan were to go through, about 11,500 acres in the Santa Ynez Valley — approximately 10,000 belonging to private owners — would be subject to being more easily placed in fee-to-trust (or made federal tribal land) if acquired by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. Records show the tribe previously lived on that land.