Manzanita Band seeks off-reservation casino

Tuesday, April 1, 2008  

The Manzanita Band of Mission Indians is seeking a casino 66 miles from its reservation in southern California.

The tribe wants to have 61 acres in Calexico placed in trust for a casino with 2,000 slot machines and a hotel with 260 rooms. The site is about three miles north of the Mexican border.

The land-into-trust application will be evaluated under new guidelines that take distance into account. The farther the gaming site from the reservation, the more scrutiny it receives.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs held a scoping meeting on the draft environmental impact statement on March 27. Video can be found on YouTube].

Local officials and the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians support the Manzanita project. The Quechan Nation, whose lands are in California and Arizona, is opposed.

Get the Story:
Manzanita tribe wants casino land as its own (The San Diego Union-Tribune 3/31)