Judge Orders Review of Chumash Annexation: Sovereignty Crack in the Dam

Rubber stamp is not what the BIA should be doing and local citizens should have some say in how their neighborhood shapes up.

Judge orders new review of Chumash

A federal judge’s ruling in the case of two community groups against the U.S. Department of the Interior regarding the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ 6.9 acre fee-to-trust application has resulted in two highly divergent reactions to the news.
Both the tribe and the two groups — Preservation of Los Olivos (POLO) and Preservation of Santa Ynez (POSY) — essentially claimed a victory after the judge’s ruling.

POLY and POSY said in a written statement July 15 that U.S. District Court Judge A. Howard Matz’s ruling in Los Angeles July 9 finds the fee-to-trust process flawed and supports citizens’ rights to appeal.

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