Editorial: No reservation shopping in California

Thursday, June 8, 2006  

"Plans by the owners of River Rock Casino near Geyserville to build a similar casino complex on 277 acres of farmland it recently purchased just south of Petaluma should be fought vigorously if local residents hope to preserve this community's cherished quality of life.

Greed appears to be the driving force behind the super-secretive Dry Creek Rancheria Pomo tribe, which is not disclosing its exact intentions for the property, only to say through an anonymous source that they have "no current plans" to build a casino on the site stretching from Highway 101 to the Petaluma River.

This is a classic case of what has come to be known as reservation shopping, a shameful practice whereby competing tribes purchase private property well beyond their own ancestral boundaries in order to develop more profitable gambling enterprises. Though still legal, it vividly demonstrates how bad laws, money and political influence have overwhelmed and ultimately begun to ruin local communities throughout California."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Petaluma is no place for a Las Vegas-style casino (The Petaluma Argus Courier 6/7)