Kenneth Kahn was re-elected as tribal chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and is currently serving his third term as chairman.
SANTA YNEZ — Kenneth Kahn was re-elected as tribal chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, while all four members of the tribe’s business committee were also re-elected.
Mr. Khan became tribal chairman in a special election in 2016 and is currently serving his third term as chairman. Under his leadership, the tribe completed its casino expansion project, Camp 4 was placed into federal trust and progress continues on the tribe’s Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center project. Also re-elected were Mike Lopez, Maxine Littlejohn, Gary Pace and Raul Armenta, according to a news release.
Mr. Lopez served for almost a decade as the gaming commission chairman. He was re-elected to serve his fourth consecutive term on the tribe’s leadership team, and his first term as vice chairman. He also serves as a representative for the tribe’s education committee, is a board member for the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County, as well as vice chairman for the California Nations Indian Gaming Association’s executive board.
Ms. Littlejohn was first elected to the business committee in 2000 and became secretary-treasurer in 2003. She temporarily left the committee to serve on the gaming commission from 2005 to 2009. She returned to the business committee in 2015 and is in her fourth consecutive term on the board.
Mr. Pace was first elected in 2004 and has been re-elected to the business committee in nine consecutive elections. He worked on the tribe’s behalf for the purchase of Camp 4 and the acquisition of Hotel Corque and Hadsten House.
Mr. Armenta first joined the board in 2016 following a special election. He served almost two decades on the Santa Ynez Gaming Commission where he was responsible for providing regulatory oversight of the Chumash Casino Resort.
The tribe’s chairman and business committee members each serve two-year terms and are responsible for establishing policies and overseeing the legal and business affairs of the tribe while providing for the economic well-being of its members.
— Mitchell White
