The tribe had been prepared for casino customers in August but several delays pushed back the opener. Marine veteran who served two tours in Vietnam, looked out from one of the restaurants that affords mountainous views toward Tecate and said, “You’re standing in my back yard.”Ī cemetery with their Kumeyaay ancestors is next to the casino near tribal headquarters. “Then we started the serious talk in the ’90s when we started seeking developers. “Kenny was the chair in the ’80s when it was a dream,” Pinto recalled. He remembered when there were 13 homes belonging to tribal members on the property. She pointed to her uncle, Kenny Meza, who was the tribal chairman more than 30 years ago, and is now 70 years old. “Small tribe, big dreams,” she said of the 61-member Jamul Indian Village. Pinto said she was “honored to have been passed the baton and carry it across the finish line” for her ancestors and relatives.
