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Tribe Grieves for Lost Leader |
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Thursday, 15 February 2007 |
PALM SPRINGS
Ray L. Patencio, former Tribal Chairman and longtime advocate, dies February 8
Former Agua Caliente Tribal Chairman Ray L. Patencio died
Thursday at his home following an illness. He was 60 years old, and would have
turned 61 on Feb. 9.
Patencio was instrumental in forging the Tribe's relationship
with the City of Palm Springs
on a government-to-government basis by working to build understanding based on
respect and common goals. "He was an incredible leader who gave every ounce of
effort to help bring the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to where it is
today," said Tribal Chairman Richard M. Milanovich. "His whole life was one of
service to the community and to the Tribe. We're devastated by the loss."
 Former Agua Caliente Chairman Ray Palencio with Ron Oden
Patencio recalled running barefoot around Palm Springs as a child, not because he
didn't have shoes, but because he didn't bother wearing them. "We ran from tree
to tree, chasing the shade," he told the crowd when receiving his star. "I bet
we knew where every tree was in Palm
Springs."
Patencio was Tribal Chairman from 1972 to 1981. When the
Santa Rosa Indian Community won a key victory in the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals in 1975 affirming tribal sovereignty, Patencio was able to lead the
Agua Caliente in affirming their right to be exempt from zoning and development
control by the City of Palm Springs.
The legal tangle took two more years before the case was
resolved, laying the groundwork for the Tribe to develop its various business
enterprises in Palm Springs.
It provided the basis for the Tribe and the City to develop their relationship
in a way that respected sovereignty but paved the way for governmental
agreements benefiting the entire community.
He was currently Chairman of the Agua Caliente Gaming Commission,
serving since its inception in 1995, when the Tribe opened its first casino.
The Gaming Commission, which oversees the regulatory functions of the Tribe's
Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs
and Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, maintains the day-to-day oversight
in keeping with the California Gambling Control Commission and the National
Indian Gaming Commission.
His involvement in Tribal as well as local community affairs
led him to make a run for mayor in 1987. Patencio lost to Sonny Bono, the late
entertainer who turned his successful bid for Palm Springs Mayor into a
congressional seat now held by his wife, Mary Bono.
Patencio was also a leader in the struggle with the Bureau
of Indian Affairs when Tribal members were not allowed to manage their own
financial affairs. Guardians were appointed by the BIA to oversee their
personal finances, eating thousands of dollars from each Tribal Member's
budget. According to newspaper archives from 1967, such oversight cost one
Tribal Member's income a whopping 50 percent of income over an 8-year period.
He has been a delegate to the State/Tribal Gaming
Association, delegate to the California Native Indian Gaming Association and
was current chairman of the Agua Caliente Election Board, which oversees elections
of the Tribal Council. Elsewhere, he has served as president of the Casa Sonora
Homeowners Association and the Board of Directors of Palm Valley School.
Over the years, he has spoken on behalf of the Agua Caliente
Cultural Musuem to various schools and colleges, as well as local service
groups, relating to the early history and culture of the Agua Caliente Indian
People. He was also involved with the museum since the origin of the Agua
Caliente Cultural Museum Association, serving as secretary before being named
to the museum Board of Directors.
Patencio's family, including his wife Mary Kay, children and
grandchildren, and members of the Agua Caliente Tribal Council, will miss him.
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