Tribal leader plays to win: Kenneth Kahn, of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, is on a rollEric Gill, Lompoc Record · January 21, 2018 at 2:56 pmKenneth Kahn smiles cheerfully. The chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians greets guests at the entry of the reservation’s Tribal Hall. He is accompanied by Veronica Sandoval of the Chumash Foundation, which recently donated more than 100 laptop computers to Central Coast schools in Guadalupe, Lompoc and Santa Ynez; $120,000 to five museums in Santa Barbara County; and 30 new bikes and skateboards to the county’s Court Appointed Special Advocates program as gifts for kids.It’s a warm, clear day. From atop the ridge, where the foundation’s administrative offices sit, gentle hills seem endless.Kahn, who grew up on the reservation, points to each building, bridge and crevice below as if he has every landmark memorized. From interior square footage and vineyard acres to tribal demographics and gallons used for daily wastewater treatment, Kahn has a facility for facts and figures.The tribal leader points to the Chumash Casino Resort in the distance. He circles around to face the area where 100 homes and about 300 residents live. He speaks with pride about a 4-acre park with trails and walkways that zigzag for miles throughout the reservation.
