Pala's Rez Radio

Pala Band hits the airwaves

By J. Harry Jones“Rez Radio. KOPA FM, Pala. KOPA 91.3.”

With that announcement last week, the first radio station owned and operated by an Indian tribe in Southern California went on the air.

Rez Radio, a commercial-free station that operates out of a small building behind the Pala Band of Mission Indians’ administrative center just off state Route 76, now broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week and streams live over the Internet.And:The station is now airing a wide mix of music—Southern rock, country, reggae, blues, soul. At night, the station is on autopilot, but as time goes on, and volunteers come forward, more extensive live broadcasting is planned.

KOPA soon plans to offer a variety of programming. Some shows of general interest to Native Americans will be purchased from national Native American radio service groups, but most will be locally generated by volunteers. Topics could include native language courses, recordings of elders that have been taken for posterity and archived, home improvement shows, cooking shows, even political shows if someone wants to tackle controversial issues. Fox said anyone is welcome to approach the station with programming ideas. Being a reservation resident isn’t a requirement. The station also has the ability to broadcast from remote locations, such as from softball games.Comment:  For more on the subject, see "Tribal Priority" for Radio Stations and Increasing Tribal Radio Opportunities.

Below:  "Tribal Chairman Robert Smith (right) is interviewed Tuesday by John Fox at Pala's new radio station." (Charlie Neuman)

Pala bull-riding tournament

Rodeo action, country dancing at inaugural Pala bull-riding event

By Dan BennettThe first Pala Professional Bull Riders Touring Pro Division competition happens May 22 and 23 at a temporary arena built on a pasture next to the Pala Casino Spa and Resort. Some 8,000 people are expected to attend and witness not only some of the best bullriders in the world hanging on with all their might, but also a skydiving event and a free country dance party.

"This is the largest special event in the history of our casino," said Bill Bembenek, CEO of Pala Casino Spa & Resort. "We really feel like we are adding a new dimension with this event, and establishing a precedent for other exciting events as we move forward."

Seventy riders will compete in the bull-riding tournament over the two days, aiming for championship points and more than $25,000 in prize money.Comment:  For more on the subject, see The Facts About Indian Gaming.

Pala Raceway's origin

The Scoop on San Diego's Pala Raceway

Holla from Pala!

By Lindsey LovellThe three of us ventured out to San Diego county's newest motocross facility Pala Raceway. If you haven't been to Pala, then surely you are missing out on some prime riding. The terrain is disfigured by nature, it has taken countless man-hours to make that dirt & sand into a rock-free perfection. The track is a short trek from where Interstate 15 meets HWY 76 located on the Pala Indian Reservation, just 3 miles past the casino.

Lindsey Lovell:  How did Pala Raceway come about?

Kirk Chandler:  A lot of planning. Started off about 8 years ago, Ryan Ouellette contacted Pala Band of Mission Indians even before the casino had been built. He was looking to build a motocross track in San Diego county. At the time, Carlsbad Raceway was on its last leg and reality was there wasn't many motocross tracks in the county besides Barona Oaks and Amago. We contacted the tribe and over time we took over the site that was formerly Vulcan Mining site, a rock & sand quarry. In 2006, we were approved to start working towards building a motocross track. In order to build, we had to have the mines shut down and clean up any problems that the site had. It took about 3 years to basically get done and to get to the point where we could open up motocross tracks, which we were able to do in April of 2009.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Offroad Racetrack at Pala.

Offroad racetrack at Pala

ATV and MX Tracks Open at New Pala Raceway Launch Party in Southern California Pala Raceway has officially, albeit quietly opened a brand new offroad racetrack for ATVs and MX bikes and they're having a Launch Party today.

The Pala Indian Tribe planned this racetrack from the ground up to be a world class off-road racing facility. It's located in North San Diego, near the Pala Casino Resort and Spa off the Interstate 15.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Pala Motocross Track.

Romance novel about Pala professor

San Diego writer sets novel at Pala Indian reservationA San Diego writer and publicist has tapped the Pala Indian Reservation as the backdrop for a debut novel that she will showcase at a pow-wow this weekend in Temecula.

The tale is a multi-cultural love story that draws upon several San Diego settings as well as local Native American themes and images.

“Coyote Heart” focuses on Carolyn Weedman, a 40-year-old librarian trapped in a troubled marriage with a disabled husband. After a chance encounter with a widowed Pala Indian professor, Carolyn finds herself drawn into an unexpected love affair. Torn by conflicting feelings, she discovers a secret about her husband’s past that forces her to confront her divided emotions and choose between the two men that she loves.

The 210-page novel explores courage, sacrifice, forgiveness, Indian politics and the intricacies of illicit love and marriage. Local settings include the Pala area and the Rancho Penasquitos preserve. The book acknowledges the assistance of Eric Elliott, a Palomar College professor and Luiseno language expert.Comment:  Coyote Heart sounds like a modern-day Ramona. I wonder just how romanticized this romance is.

The title "Coyote Heart" is pretty stereotypical, as is the cover. Yeah, because all Indians are tricky fellows represented by a coyote, right? Unless they're represented by an eagle, wolf, or hawk instead.

It also sounds like author Margulies didn't get much if any help from the Pala tribe. Even if the book is accurate and stereotype-free, I'm not sure Pala would approve.

For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Books.

From skatepark to museum exhibit

Pala Band Selected For Smithsonian Institution Exhibit On Native American SkateboardingOnly a year after opening a new skate park on their reservation, the Pala Band of Mission Indians will be included in a new Smithsonian Institution exhibit on skateboarding in the Native American culture at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC. Ramp it Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America will be open from June 12–September 13, 2009.

“While we may have just built the skate park last year, skateboarding has been a large part of many members of the Pala Band’s lives for decades,” said Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Tribe. “Skateboarding allows people to combine balance, strength and dedication with design and graphic elements that are uniquely tribal. Growing up without a lot of wealth, skateboarding provides a positive outlet and I am proud the Smithsonian Institute has recognized this important, yet many times overlooked, facet of Native culture.”Comment:  For more on the subject, see Ramp It Up Video.

Below:  "Tribal members Chris Nieto and his son Titus holding skateboards designed by Chris’ company Remnant Skateboards."

Pala builds skatepark

PALA:  New skatepark a hit with youths, tribeIf there are fewer skateboarders hopping curbs and grinding public railings around this small American Indian reservation these days, the answer can be found at a concrete wonderland across the highway from the casino.

That's where a shiny new skatepark that opened in April has been attracting impressive crowds of skaters from all over North County and Temecula--groups of athletic young men whose previous outlet for their preferred afternoon activity was the nearest parking lot.

The Pala Band of Mission Indians spent $570,000 to build the park on a thin strip of land beyond the softball fence at the Jim Banks sports complex off Pala Mission Road.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Hopi/Navajo Skatepark.

Gaming tribes vs. charities

Day of reckoning looms over bingo

Electronic version puts gaming tribes, charities at oddsCharities and nonprofit organizations have been operating hundreds of legally questionable electronic bingo machines in Sacramento County, and reportedly in locations scattered across the state, for at least several years.

But a day of reckoning appears to be close.

The wealthy United Auburn band of suburban Sacramento has put the Schwarzenegger administration on notice that it believes the bingo machines violate a clause in its gambling agreement that guaranteed a monopoly on electronic gaming devices. Such a breach would permit the tribe to suspend the $33 million it pays annually to the state.

Charities that have come to depend on income from the machines have taken their plight to allies in the Legislature, seeking a compromise that would sustain their bingo revenue.

But there doesn't appear to be much room for a compromise.

The state could forfeit hundreds of millions of dollars a year in tribal payments if electronic bingo is legalized for charities, said tribal attorney Howard Dickstein, who represents United Auburn and Pala of San Diego County.

“This is a high-stakes game for them to be playing,” he said.

Charities say the stakes are just as high for them, although the money involved is much less.

“All I know is we've got homeless kids and this is a big part of our budget,” said John Poswall, a board member of WIND Youth Services of Sacramento.Comment:  Regardless of who's right technically or legally, the tribes would do well to compromise. It's hard for them to argue they need the money more than the charities do. And taking an absolute position against someone who's "for the children" doesn't seem like a good idea.

Like disenrollment, this is another issue where tribes could win the battle but lose the war. The war is for the hearts of the minds of the public, and tribes aren't doing as well as they were a decade ago. Generating goodwill and good PR should be the centerpiece of their strategy.

For more on the subject, see The Facts About Indian Gaming.

Pala motocross track

Expectations flying high for new motocross track

Project on reservation includes restaurant, RV park[A]s tracks have closed down because of development pressures and rising insurance costs, riders have parked their bikes or resigned themselves to long drives to Riverside County or the desert.

That may change this summer with the opening of the Pala Raceway, which could become the country's most diverse track.

“It's going to rekindle that industry, the motocross industry in San Diego,” said Johnson, who was in on the initial planning for the project on the reservation north of Escondido, but is not part of it now.Comment:  Motocross seems like a typically Western pastime. Feel your manhood (engine) between your legs as you dominate (demolish) the ground beneath you.

Motocross and off-road biking basically destroy whatever land they take place on. I guess it's better to limit them to an Indian reservation than let them proceed unfettered.