As the new Riverside County Republican Party Chairman Bob Richmond took office last night, he was greeted by a $10,000 check from the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians delivered by tribal Councilman Marc Luker, who was elected to the Pechanga Tribal Council in July 2004.

As I posted earlier, Marc is also a California delegate for Sen. John McCain's bid for President.

Almost all of the Riverside County tribes have been very supportive of the local Republican Party in recent years.  I was told by one of the tribal councilmen three or four years ago that the tribe members used to look at themselves as welfare recipients and tended to vote Democrat for expanded benefits.  Now as the gambling industry raises these same tribes out of poverty, tribe members see themselves as entrepreneurs that want the government's taxation, regulation and litigation out of their lives.

Welcome to the Republican Party.

I assume the $10,000 will be used to support Props. 94, 95, 96 and 97.  The opposition to these propositions comes from unions that have failed to organize workers at the Indian casinos.  The same unions that force their members to give part of their dues to the Democrat Party and left-wing causes.