Corrupt Tribal Leader Mark Macarro of Pechanga Throws Down Gauntlet to City of Temecula

A statement from known liar, Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro, which throws the gauntlet down to the city of Temecula. The city will quiver and not stand up to Pechanga. Temecula, EXERCISE your MORAL OUTRAGE at what Pechanga has done. BOYCOTT Pechanga.

Tuesday night, the Temecula City Council can decide to continue down a litigious path of conflict and dissipate what remains of any good will between Pechanga and the city. Or, it can honor both the letter and spirit of the Intergovernmental Agreement we reached earlier in the year so we can conclude negotiations with the county of Riverside to complete the agreement.

At the heart of the dispute is a central provision of the deal that calls for the intergovernmental agreements between Pechanga, the city and the county to be interdependent. A primary reason for this interdependence is that the county of Riverside ---- not the city of Temecula ---- provides law enforcement services to the reservation, yet under the proposed agreement Temecula would receive all of the funding for law enforcement and cover the county's law enforcement costs.

Thus, a possibility exists for the county to reject the notion of reimbursement by the city and instead choose to receive the payment directly. In this time of economic recession and chronic government deficits, it would be negligent for the Tribal Council to transfer money before the county signs off on its portion and the agreement is effective.

From Day 1 of the negotiations with the city, we made clear that the intergovernmental agreements were to be interdependent, a fundamental principle that city representatives recognized; otherwise, they would not have approved a clause explicitly requiring the county component also be completed before the agreement were to take effect.

For more than a decade, the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians and the city of Temecula have enjoyed a respectful and beneficial government-to-government relationship. In recent years, the city has received more than $24 million for road improvements and added costs for police and fire services stemming from the Pechanga Resort & Casino.

Thousands of taxpaying jobs have been created for residents of the city, and our tribe has provided millions for youth programs and schools. In addition, we have partnered on initiatives to preserve the heritage and natural landscape of the community. OP: Yes, millions that were taken from rightful Tribal members that were terminated from the tribe in violation of tribal law. That means that Macarro and his family have benefitted from well over $240 MILLION dollars stolen from the Manuela Mirand and Hunter Families, in just the last six years. How much has Temecula gotten, vs Macarro's own family?

Throughout our history with the city of Temecula, not once has Pechanga failed to honor a commitment to the city. So it came as a great shock to learn that the city will be considering filing a lawsuit against us over terms of an agreement that even its own attorney admits is not yet effective.

Regardless of the council decision, Temecula taxpayers will not be paying for off-reservation impacts because the city remains eligible for funding from the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund. In fact, earlier this year the city submitted a grant application totaling $1 million ---- half of what the city would receive under the agreement it has now jeopardized. That's right; our agreement this year would provide double what the city would receive from the Special Distribution Fund.

Mark Macarro is tribal chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians.