INDIAN TRIBES USING CASINO WEALTH TO GAIN FRIENDS, INFLUENCE.

Byline: Mary Lynne Vellinga Scripps-McClatchy Western Service

The floundering San Diego Symphony receives $200,000 from a nearby Indian tribe. The Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce uses $25,000 from another tribe to hold a lecture series.

And in the small desert city of Banning, a third tribe donates a new scoreboard for the local high school.

The Sacramento Symphony's recent $100,000 windfall from the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians near Woodland is far from an isolated case. California Indian tribes that have vaulted from poverty to wealth by building casinos are starting to spread their money around in a big way.

Tribal representatives say they make the contributions for two reasons: They want to give back to their communities. They also hope to build public goodwill and support for Indian gambling, which is being challenged in the courts by Gov. Pete Wilson.

The governor contends the nearly 9,000 video slot machines installed in tribal casinos around the state are illegal. If the tribes lose in court, they may seek help from the Legislature or from the voters via the initiative process.

"If there is an attitude of public support (for Indian gambling), it makes it harder for the governor or the attorney general to make a decision that's adverse to the tribes, because by shutting down the casinos they'd be shutting down the source for something their constituents consider important," said Howard Dickstein, a Sacramento attorney who represents numerous Indian tribes.

By giving to groups like the symphony, the tribes also get a chance to share their message of economic empowerment with people who might not normally hear it, Dickstein said.

"The people who support the arts are frequently people who are influential in the community, and are people who might not otherwise see the benefits of Indian gaming," he said. "This makes that point."

Since announcing last week that it was donating $100,000 to the Sacramento Symphony, the Rumsey Band, which operates Cache Creek Indian Bingo & Casino, has received a round of applause at several concerts, said Symphony Association Board Chairman Jack Diepenbrock. The symphony's 1996 series of Pops concerts will be named the Rumsey Rancheria Pops Series.

Diepenbrock noted that corporate givers often use large contributions as an "image building thing."

"Everybody I've talked to says, 'Gee, this is just great,' " said Diepenbrock, former chairman of the state Lottery Commission. "If there were a measure to stamp out Indian gaming, they'd say, 'Gee, why would we want to do that?' "

While it has made charitable contributions in Yolo County on a much smaller scale, the symphony gift was Rumsey's first large, highly visible donation. In San Diego County, the three tribes that operate casinos have become some of the largest charitable donors in the region.

Combined, the three tribes give about $2 million to charitable causes each year.

"In our ancient culture, giving is very important," said Anthony Pico, chairman of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians in Alpine, which sent aid to strife-torn Rwanda and to the Oklahoma City bombing victims. "When you have something of value, you share it."

The Barona Band of Mission Indians, for instance, last year donated $500,000 to heart programs at the Sharp Healthcare hospital chain in the San Diego area. In return, Sharp announced plans to name the cardiac wing in one of its hospitals after the Barona Casino.

The three San Diego-area tribes also gave $90,000 to underwrite San Diego County's annual food drive last Thanksgiving, said their publicist, Nikki Symington - an ironic twist because members of the Viejas band received food baskets themselves just five years ago.

"The tribes' money put the piece of turkey in every basket," Symington said.

The tribes' community outreach efforts have helped create substantial public support, Symington said. Last year, Indian tribes around the state commissioned a poll that found that 82 percent of San Diegans supported continued operation of Indian casinos, compared with 76 percent in the state as a whole.

Five years ago, the Indian tribes that are now handing out money were heavily dependent on welfare, which has since been virtually eliminated on reservations with casinos. In some cases, especially in small communities, the casinos are now highly prized as employers and corporate contributors.

In Banning, for instance, the Chamber of Commerce recently sent letters to all the members of the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee, urging them to file friend-of-the-court briefs supporting the tribes in a case now pending before the California Supreme Court.

Banning is home to the casino operated by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, which employs 850 people. The Morongo Band has donated $10,000 to the American Cancer Society, and it recently paid for a new scoreboard at the local high school. It also helped underwrite the town's annual Stagecoach Days celebration.

"The reason we do it is we believe in sharing," said Mary Ann Andreas, tribal chairwoman. "The Banning area is not an affluent area, it's a depressed area, and if we take out of the community we should give back as well."

But she said charitable giving is also a good public relations tool. The Morongo Band asks each recipient to write a letter of thanks and hold a public presentation. The tribe is keeping a file of the letters.

"There's a need, and it's on both sides," Andreas said.