Friday, January 11, 2013

CA Tribal Disenrollment: Lifelong Dry Creek Rancheria Members LOSE Appeal


Two longtime Dry Creek Rancheria members who were running for office in a high-profile political battle learned Thursday they lost their appeal to stay in the tribe.

Carmen Cordova Soltanizadeh and Laila Elgin DeRouen said they were informed the Dry Creek board of directors voted 3-2 to disenroll them from the approximate 1,100-member tribe.

“We've been members our entire life,” said DeRouen, 29. “There's absolutely no basis for what they've done.”

“I am who I am, not because of them,” said Soltanizadeh, 34. “We've been a part of the reservation since it begun.”

Soltanizadeh said the first indication she got that the vote was against her was Thursday morning, when her $650 monthly per capita payment for being a tribal member was taken out of her bank account.

“It was put in, then reversed. That's how I knew the decision was made,” she said.

But by Thursday afternoon, she was informed the money, which is generated by Dry Creek's River Rock Casino, was redeposited by tribal officials who decided she would get the final payment after all, despite her disenrollment.

“By putting it in and taking it out, it was a slap in the face,” she said.

The dispute over the status of the two women led to the postponement of tribal elections in November.

DeRouen was running for secretary-treasurer of the five-member tribal board. Soltanizadeh was a candidate for tribal gaming commission.

The two women claim they were selectively disenrolled because they were challenging members of the salaried board who are up for re-election.

Tribal Chairman Harvey Hopkins, who is running for re-election, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.


Dry Creek Appeal Denied

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

WTF

smokeybear said...

Does anyone know about the Kobel lawsuit?....."Eagle Eyes."

Anonymous said...


March 2013 deadline to submit claims.

Call Toll-Free: 1-800-96109

Email: Info@IndianTrust.com

By Mail: Indian Trust Settlement
P.O. Box 9577
Dublin, OH 43017-4877

p.s. Checks have already being mailed to claimants....

Best wishes to you & family..how is wife doing.

Anonymous said...

Oy vey! correction: are already being sent to claimants.

smokeybear said...

Wife's doing better, on oxygen, thanks for asking...."Eagle Eyes."

Anonymous said...

It's so sad to see how the one simple word "CASINO" has turned many tribal members against each other in various tribes. And "GREED" is the main culprit. Ancestors would never let this take place. It's sad that now most tribes with casino's are labeled as "CASINO INDIANS". So much for true culture... Rebel Native

Luiseno said...

It's not only the labeling of the Tribes by other non-Casino tribes, but the worse thing is the destruction of Tribe from within. Family's who have been members since before the very beginnings of the reservations they now live on, who have been members are being ripped apart for the sake of greed and to gain and maintain power. Then they are told when they seek help "that it is an internal matter, and they must go to the very people who ripped there heritage from them to seek justice".

Its like asking a rape victim to go to his/her attacker and ask them to make judgement on the matter.

They sneer laugh and make fun of us. Telling elders who are in there 80's and not only lost there heritage, but there health care to ...... "get a job...."

They for some reason think this is all so freek'n funny

Amelia said...

Orginal Pechanga, Can you please contact me at Siobraun@gmail.com. I am a journalist with San Diego Reader writing an article about disenrollment.

Anonymous said...

Well Robert Smith and the EC has disenrolled more members and supposedly more on are the way. The corruption is just disgusting, can't believe they keep getting away with it. The tribal people are trying to arrange a peaceful walk on the administration building. It is time for the People of Pala to oust their whole EC and press charges against them for all of the money they have stolen, the threats they have made, the violence they have committed. All disenrollees need to band together to go through each corrupt reservation and fix the problem themselves, since the government will not step in. Maybe when they overtake the offices they can have forensic accounting add the outsiders to the list of corrupt ECs, like Robert Eeben, Amy Dutschke, Sarah Dutschke, Howard Dickstein, Doug Elmets, Jerry Turk, Shasta Gaughan, Bonnie Dumanis and others. These people have infiltrated themselves into Casino Tribes and have been benefiting from the monies and rights that belong to the disenrolled. The heritage of the indigenous people of the United States of America is being stripped away so that these people can make more money than the millions they already have and they can get away with injustices to the disenrolled while congress and the so-called President look the other way, making the federal government look like idiots.

chuckchansi said...


DATE OF THE WALK ?

Anonymous said...

Check Palawatch blog comments for date, not sure yet, when we decide I will let you all know.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry for you sisters, it's not right. These Casino Indians are horrible. Not all of them but sadly it runs rampant in California.