Membership fight threatens tribal casino

VALLEY CENTER, Calif., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has ruled that a Southern California tribe improperly expelled 60 people from its rolls.

Those expelled from the San Pasqual tribe were descendants of Marcus Alto Sr., who was enrolled in the tribe in 1991 and has since died, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Some tribal leaders argued that Alto was adopted and not a true member of the tribe.

The tribe is involved in an ongoing leadership dispute that threatens its ability to operate the Valley View Casino. Tribal Chairman Allen Lawson was one of those involved in throwing out members, while Angela Martinez McNeal, formerly the secretary-treasurer, was one of those dismissed, the report said.

With the rise of Indian casinos, tribal membership has become a contentious issue in many groups, the newspaper reported. Most decide their own membership but the San Pasqual constitution gives the BIA the authority.

James Fletcher, Southern California superintendent for the BIA, said he has told the tribe that it must have a functioning government to operate the casino.