Good morning CalMatters reader,

The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation have announced they will be purchasing the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa in downtown Riverside.

"The Mission Inn holds a special place in our hearts," Tribal Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena said in a statement. "Generations of our family love the inn for its charming ambience and for the memories we've made there over the years.

The tribe’s reservation was considered one of the most poverty stricken areas in San Bernardino County in the 1960’s, according to a speech given by Assemblymember and tribal member James Ramos. Their first income was land rental, granting them only $300 a year. 

Ramos’ grandmother, Martha Emmanuel Chacon, started a snack shack, then tribal members sold cigarettes. In 1986 they opened San Manuel Bingo, a business that grew to be Yaamava’ Resort and Casino. The casino now has more than 7,200 slot machines, and hosts concerts with household names such as Bob Dylan, Trevor Noah and Demi Lovato.

Their acquisition of the Mission Inn places them in a long line of owners, including  the Miller family, the Mission Inn Foundation, Chemical Bank, frozen burrito inventor Duane Roberts and his widow, Kelly Roberts.

"It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as stewards of The Mission Inn," Kelly Roberts said in a statement.

The deal is expected to close by the end of the month. The tribe will continue operating the Festival of Lights, a spokesperson told The Riverside Record. 

The Raincross Gazette reported that the hotel was for sale in November following Duane Roberts’ death, a report denied by Kelly Roberts.

Read more at The Raincross Gazette.

CalMatters’ Yue Stella Yu looked at every competitive race for state representative, and highlighted two from the Inland Empire this week.

She outlined the rematch in Riverside’s Assembly District 53, a rematch between incumbent Assemblymember Leticia Castillo and her 2024 opponent and Riverside City Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes. 

“In a CalMatters interview, (Cervantes) pointed to the war in Iran that has sent gas prices skyrocketing, saying Castillo is complacent about Trump’s policies. Castillo has focused on ‘conspiracy theories and culture wars,’ Cervantes argued, referring to a bill the Republican authored to keep transgender women out of locker rooms and restrooms.”

Castillo did not make herself available for an interview with CalMatters, but in an April interview, she blamed high gas on California regulations.

Yu also featured the four-person race in Coachella Valley’s Assembly District 36, between Indio City Councilmember Oscar Ortiz, former El Centro Mayor Tomás Oliva, and Imperial City Councilmember Ida Obeso-Martinez:

“Gonzalez, a former Marine who joined the bipartisan legislative Problem Solvers Caucus that pledges to ‘put people over party,’ has had to walk a fine line on immigration. He sought to justify Trump’s deployment of troops in Los Angeles last year as ‘stepping up.’ He also signed a caucus letter to Congress last year advocating for a path for legal status for undocumented immigrants. 

Yu highlighted 14 other competitive races across the state: California Republicans who flipped seats in 2024 are fighting to keep them.

CalMatters’ Ben Christopher came out with an article on the race for state treasurer.

“Selling bonds. Awarding tax credits. Overseeing pension funds. Investing idle cash for maximum return. These are the roles of California’s treasurer, a job that evokes someone with a fondness for green eyeshades and a favorite Excel function,” Christopher wrote.

Read the story: In the six-way race to be California’s treasurer, it likely comes down to two Democrats.

Monday was the deadline for the counties to mail out this election’s ballots. It was also the release date for CalMatters’ Voter Guide.

The guide offers an interactive quiz to learn which gubernatorial candidates match your views and video interviews to learn what each candidate’s thoughts are on education, housing and AI. It also lists the endorsements and campaign contributions for each candidate across all state races.

Read the guide here: “The governor’s race is wild."

The California Assembly unanimously passed an IE-led bill that would integrate tribal colleges with the state’s public education system on May 4. The bill would not be active until 2030 if signed. 

“This recognition ensures that tribal institutions are no longer sidelined, but instead are meaningfully included in higher education planning, legislation, and coordinating bodies where critical decisions are being made,” said Assm. Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), who introduced the bill on Monday. Jackson, Assm. James Ramos (D-Highland), Assm. Jeff Gonzales (R-Coachella), and Assm. Greg Wallis (R-Rancho Mirage) are co-authors to the bill.

“TCUs (Tribal colleges and universities) bridge a gap by providing education that maintains academic rigor guided by native culture and values,” Gonzales said.

Palm Desert is home to one of two tribal colleges in the state: California Indian Nations College, chartered in 2017. The college educated 208 students in the 2024-2025 academic year. 

Thanks for reading. While you are here, please sign up for the Inland Empire newsletter and let me know what kinds of stories you'd love to read. Please add my email to your contacts: inlandempire@calmatters.org, and forward our email.