Map shows Mettier, California, and intersections of highways 99 and 166, near where the Tejon Tribe is acquiring land for a casino. Image from Google Maps
The Tejon Tribe of California is working with a Nevada developer on plans for a casino. The partners have options on a site in Mettier, near the intersections of highways 99 and 166. A non-disclosure agreement prevents the tribe from identifying the exact location. "We don't even have the land yet," Chairwoman Kathryn Montes Morgan told The Bakersfield Californian. "We only have an option on a piece of land." The developer wasn't named but The Mountain Enterprise in January 2012 said the tribe's federal recognition efforts appeared to be financed by Millennium Gaming Inc. The firm is a co-owner of the Cannery Casino in Las Vegas. The tribe was placed back on the list of federally recognized entities in January 2012. An investigation later said former assistant secretary Larry Echo Hawk did so without following any sort of "discernible process." The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, generally, bars gaming on land acquired after 1988. But Section 20 of the law contains an exception for tribes that were restored to federal recognition. The Tejon Tribe presumably qualifies for an exception. Get the Story:
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