Editor, Daily Nexus:

In response to Gail Marshall’s letter (The Reader’s Voice, “A.S.’s Support of Chumash Expansion Lacks Research,” March 7) about the A.S. resolution supporting the expansion of the Chumash Indian casino, I’d like to inform the readers about the research that went into the resolution. It seems our 3rd District county supervisor knows nothing about the magnitude of research that went into this matter before A.S. voted on it. Just because the resolution does not include writing to Marshall’s liking does not mean that little research was used.

As the author of the resolution, I chose to table it for several weeks pending more research. I read a stack of county and city documents that were provided by an entrusted guardian of the supervisor. The documents not only showed how the tribe worked in good faith, but also revealed how the county and local agencies tried to impose regulations that did not apply to the tribe.

In addition, I received information from the tribe and read the county minutes, laws and regulations, as well as federal/state laws that address Indian gaming. After countless hours of analysis, I became convinced that the casino expansion should proceed without intervention. I was then able to brief Leg Council, in writing, about a number of issues surrounding the expansion. The truth is that the resolution was not “blindly” adopted and “thoughtful research” actually took place.

PABLO ANDRADE

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