US Department of the Interior rejects Scotts Valley Tribe’s Vallejo casino proposal
The DOI has ruled that the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians cannot conduct gaming on the proposed casino site in Vallejo, California.
US.- The US Department of the Interior (DOI) and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs William Kirkland III have ruled against the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians’ proposal to build a casino in Vallejo, California. They say the tribe does not have the significant historical connection required for the site to qualify as restored lands under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) so is not eligible to conduct gaming there.
The Scotts Valley Band said it was disappointed with the ruling and will seek judicial review. “The administrative record overwhelmingly supports the Tribe’s gaming eligibility. We will move quickly to challenge the decision in federal court,” said tribal chair Shawn Davis.
The proposed development would have covered 160 acres and included a 24-hour casino, a tribal administration building, 24 single-family residences, a parking garage and a 45-acre preserve. Opponents had argued that the project would deprive local Patwin tribes of ancestral land. The Lytton Rancheria of California welcomed the DOI’s decision to reject the proposal, although it acknowledged that the dispute is unlikely to be over.
