The department added in a statement this week that the letters were sent at the beginning of the pandemic “when the urgency to save lives was at stake.”Ĭalifornia’s stay-at-home order also went into effect on March 19 and, on March 20, casinos across the county closed.Įrica Pinto, chairwoman of the Jamul Indian Village Development Corp., said Gore’s letters were not part of the tribe’s decision to close its casino. The letter stated later, “.the issue of whether tribal sovereignty precludes enforcement of the Public Health Officer’s order on tribal lands is a discussion that must be had at a later date.”ĭepartment officials said the March 18 letter, which was shorter but similar to the March 19 letter, was actually sent out inadvertently before it was complete, and it’s unclear if every tribe received it. It also stated that failing to comply with the health order could impact a tribe’s ability to “obtain assistance and reimbursement for emergency protective measures such as law enforcement and other measures necessary to protect public health and safety.” “This will, at a minimum, include restricting access to tribal lands by the general public,” the letter read.

In it, Gore said if the tribes did not comply with the county health order, he would be forced to “take measures to protect public safety.” The Sheriff sent a second letter to the tribes on March 19, the day before the expected closures.

In a letter sent on March 18, Gore informed the tribes that any establishment that refused to follow the county’s new rules would be in violation of the public health order - an order the sheriff had the power to enforce.Īlthough casinos were in operation at the time, five tribal governments announced that same day that they intended to close on March 20.

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