(SAN BERNARDINO) – Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) endorsed San Manuel Tribal Chairman James Ramos this week in Ramos’ bid for a seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. Ramos has served as a member of the San Bernardino Community College Board of Trustees since 2005. He is also a member the California Board of Education since his appointment by Governor Jerry Brown in January of this year.
Lewis’ endorsement raised eyebrows among county Republicans. Ramos is a Democrat who is running against a conservative Republican incumbent, Supervisor Neil Derry. Many Tea Party members and Republicans alike have accused Lewis of being a RINO (Republican In Name Only) and an opportunist with this endorsement. Ramos and the San Manuel tribe contribute heavily to political campaigns in the region, including that of Congressman Lewis.
Lewis’ support of Ramos can also be chalked up to settling old scores. Lewis remains a close friend and ally of former Supervisor Dennis Hansberger who was defeated by Derry in 2008 during a bitter campaign. Hansberger has made several attempts at undermining Derry including destruction of all the districts official documents before leaving office. Lewis, Hansberger, and District Attorney Mike Ramos, are all part of the “old guard Redlands Republicans” but have thrown their support Ramos’ way although Mike Ramos has not offered an official endorsement to his close friend as of yet.
As San Manuel Tribal Chairman, Ramos heads up one of the largest casino and gaming facilities in the county of San Bernardino. Located in Highland, California, just east of the city of San Bernardino, the facility began as a bingo hall in 1986. In the 25 years since it was established, some tribal members have become millionaires. Ramos’ monthly salary is rumored to be $100,000, tax free. The fact that Ramos’ does not pay state income tax on his salary became a campaign issue as soon as he announced his candidacy in May.
Ramos’ connection to gambling has brought about another set of problems as well. Criminal activity in and around the casino has been a concern of residents for the past two decades. Claims of a close relationship between tribal leaders and the Mexican Mafia have never been disproved and extremely light sentences for some tribal members, or no prosecution at all, have fueled those claims for years. Off the record, law enforcement officials claim that the relationship is strong but officially many deny it. Opponents feel Ramos has used his close friendship with District Attorney Mike Ramos to keep prosecutions to a minimum and sentences light.
Although the election is ten months away, Ramos has accumulated over $400,000 in his campaign coffers. Much of it so far has come from his college board campaign war chest, other tribal resources, family members, and unions. The tribe has also been airing commercials in the name of community outreach since last year.
Whether Ramos’ almost unlimited financial resources will be enough to overcome some of the negative feelings local residents have about the casino and concerns about criminal activity cannot be gauged this early in the campaign. The one thing most residents expect is an ugly, expensive campaign. It wouldn’t be San Bernardino County, “California’s Most Corrupt County,” without it.
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