Yet
another article in the Press Enterprise -
Tribal officials push effort to close track
MOTOCROSS: Success could scotch an international race set for Sept. 28 at the Soboba Reservation.
09/14/2002
By RICH SASKAL
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
SOBOBA RESERVATION - The fate of the San Jacinto Valley's only motocross track, and a prestigious international race planned there this month, remained in question Friday.
The event's promoters insist the Motocross des Nations, scheduled the weekend of Sept. 28 on a track on the reservation of the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, will not be affected by the tribal government's official opposition to the track. Promoters expect tens of thousands of fans from around the world for the three-day event.
But the tribe's chairman and a Bureau of Indian Affairs official say they are moving forward with plans to shut the track down.
Facing closure
In June, Competition Park moved to the Soboba Reservation from a smaller facility a few miles west in San Jacinto.
On Sept. 7, at a general meeting of the tribe, members voted to shut the track, citing concerns about dust, water and sanitation. Tribal Chairman Robert Salgado said the tribal council has asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to enforce the decision.
Virgil Townsend, superintendent of the bureau's Riverside-based Southern California office, said the bureau's lawyers are working on a request for a temporary restraining order to close the track.
The track's general manager, Malcolm McCassy, said he is confident that the park cannot be closed before the Motocross des Nations in two weeks.
"We've talked to countless attorneys," he said. "We've weighed all the possibilities through numerous counsel and procedural issues with law enforcement. All those procedures are well after the event."
Townsend said he did not know how soon such a restraining order would be in place.
"We're the federal government, and we move really slow sometimes, and that's unfortunate," he said. He said he hoped a restraining order could be served next week.
McCassy said he is not a direct party to any action; his company simply has a contract to operate the track.
"We are not personally part of the battle, but there is a battle going on, and there is a team of attorneys working around the clock," he said.
The 75-acre motocross venue is on land allocated by the tribe to two individual members of the tribe, Ernest Salgado Sr. and Ernie Salgado Jr., McCassy said. The men are the father and brother, respectively, of the tribal chairman.
A call to Ernie Salgado Jr.'s business Friday was referred to an attorney in Orange County, Thomas Wolfsen, who said he was too busy with another emergency to speak Friday.
McCassy said the tribal council approved plans for the track before it was built.
Townsend said there is no approving resolution for the track from the Soboba tribal council. He also said there are no environmental impact statements on file with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as he would expect for such a project.
The big event
The Motocross des Nations is one of the top events in motocross racing, featuring three riders from each nation competing on behalf of their countries. This year, 27 teams from around the world are scheduled to attend.
Townsend said he could not say one way or the other whether the park could be shut by Sept. 28.
"It's a developing situation, and you're not talking to a lawyer," he said.
McCassy said he did not think last weekend's vote to shut the track reflects the real wishes of the tribe.
Fewer than 30 members actually voted against the track at Saturday's meeting, McCassy said. McCassy said more than 175 members of the tribe attended a dedication ceremony in June for the new track, which he said indicates strong support.
Jim Faccuito, Competition Park's president and chief executive, said the park offers free admission to all Soboba youth, with more than 1,000 free rides since June.
Robert Salgado, the tribal chairman, dismissed the idea that the tribe might have another general meeting to reconsider the issue.
"The track people think they run the reservation, and they don't," he said. "It's a rude awakening for those people."
Reach Rich Saskal at (909) 763-3458 or
rsaskal@pe.com