San Jacinto

When Dayshawn Townsend became employed by Soboba Casino Resort in San Jacinto he did not know that it would lead to his fulfillment of a decades-long goal he had for himself. As a teenager, living in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, he got off track and ended up dropping out of high school.

Last year’s annual Soboba Braves’ hosted basketball tournament was played just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down sports for many months. This year, the 8th annual tournament was bigger and better than ever with 17 teams competing during three days of play, July 9 through 11.

Kelli Hurtado has started a program to help Soboba Tribal Members and employees get healthier by learning more about fitness and wellness. “Let’s Get Moving” has begun with a walking group on Mondays. Currently serving on the Soboba Tribal Council, Hurtado has been planning this program for quite a while but was waiting for the right time.

Soboba’s Department of Public Safety recently welcomed Mikayla Mendoza to its newly created position of Emergency Services Coordinator. Under the supervision of DPS Director Brian Herritt and Soboba Fire Chief Glenn Patterson, she will plan, develop and coordinate multi-hazard emergency response and recovery activities in support of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians.

With an open invitation to anyone that wanted to attend, Soboba’s Youth Council, in collaboration with its Parks and Recreation Department, organized a gathering in support of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Day on May 5.