BIA holds hearing on Soboba Band casino land

Thursday, August 6, 2009  

More than 200 people attended a Bureau of Indian Affairs hearing on the land-into-trust application for the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians of California.

Most speakers oppose the tribe's plan to move the Soboba Casino to a 535-acre site near three neighborhoods. They cited concerns about traffic and noise.

"What senior citizen in his right mind would purchase a home across from a Las Vegas casino?" asked Hal Retzlaff, a resident of the Soboba Springs Mobile Estates senior community, The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported.

But some people supported the application. "Part of the reason I support it is because of the jobs it will bring to this community," said Lois Duran, who also lives at the senior community.

The BIA is taking public comments until September 15.

Get the Story:
Barrage of concerns at hearing over proposed casino on land a tribe wants to add to its reservation (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 8/6)