By Karen Pearlman, with additional reporting by Miriam Raftery

Oct. 26, 2025 (East County) --  One of the original champions for First Nation independence through gaming on Native American reservations in California, Daniel  "Danny"  Tucker, longtime leader and tribal member of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, has passed away.

Tucker, born Feb. 5, 1952 at Mercy Hospital, died Friday, Oct. 24 due to complications from diabetes, at the home he shared with his wife, Lori, in El Cajon.

By Miriam Raftery, East County Magazine

Photo: Sycuan Tribal Council and the charity Father Joe’s Villages. Chairman Cody Martinez chose this charity for the Gift Giving Ceremony

January 3, 2018 (Sycuan) – Recognizing organizations making a positive difference in our community, Sycuan’s Tribal Council and Sycuan Leadership team presented $76,000 to 30 charities during a gift giving ceremony on December 14^th. 

By Mike Allen

November 3, 2016 (El Cajon) -- The Sycuan band of the Kumeyaay nation has plans to build a high-rise hotel and expand its casino.

The plans call for an 11-story, 300-room, hotel plus an additional 21,000 square feet of gaming space with 500 new devices, bringing the total to 2,500. The project would also include a 2,030-car parking garage, an upscale restaurant, a spa, fitness center, and larger outdoor area with two swimming pools.

Part of expanded efforts to increase conservation, reclamation, reuse and education

East County News Service

April 3, 2016 (Sycuan Reservation) –The Sycuan Tribe completed a major reduction in overall water usage through an aggressive conservation program that includes retrofitting irrigation equipment, removing and replacing water-dependent landscaping and increasing awareness around the importance of water conservation. 

September 1, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - The Sycuan band of the Kumeyaay nation will host its 26^th annual pow-wow September 11-13 at the tribe’s pow-wow grounds, next to the Casino at 5459 Sycuan Road on the Sycuan reservation in El Cajon.

Story and photos by Robert Gehr ©

May 17, 2015 (El Cajon)—The second annual America on Main Street event ( held this year on May 16^th ) was teeming with happy people - from parents with kids in tow, to some of us senior adults mingling with the crowds, all having a good time.