Assemblymember Marie Waldron75th Assembly DistrictIn the late 1800s, the federal government granted San Luis Rey River water rights to the cities of Vista and Escondido, depriving local tribes of water they had used for thousands of years. In essence, allocating the water rights twice. According to Bo Mazzetti, Rincon Tribal Chairman, “The cattle were dying. The Trees were dying.” In the 1960s the tribes sued, leading to a final settlement that was eventually agreed upon 50 years later.As a member of the Escondido City Council, I was involved in helping solve this issue and extremely happy that the settlement resulted in restoration of water rights for the Rincon, Pala, Pauma, San Pasqual and La Jolla tribes, as well as the San Luis Rey Indian Water Authority. The tribes wo
