Salud Ortiz Carbajal: “As the Member of Congress representing the ``Camp 4'' property addressed in H.R. 1491, which would reaffirm the action…”

“As the Member of Congress representing the ``Camp 4'' property addressed in H.R. 1491, which would reaffirm the action of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians, I would like to take this opportunity to express my support for the amended version of the bill under consideration today which incorporates the recently completed local agreement between Santa Barbara County and the Chumash Tribe. I have a unique perspective on this issue, having previously served as a Santa Barbara County Supervisor for twelve years. During my tenure, the issue of Camp 4 was deliberated before the Board of Supervisors on several occasions. During those discussions, I was one of the first elected officials to consistently call for direct government-to-government discussions between the Chumash Tribe and the County. I am pleased to see that those ensuing negotiations have now resulted in an agreement that addresses the Tribe's well documented need for tribal housing while providing for important mitigations to address potential impacts on public views, traffic, local tax revenues, and the natural environment. I believe that the locally negotiated agreement concerning Camp 4 between the Tribe and the County, which is incorporated in today's amended version of H.R.…”