Editorial: County right to question Dry Creek Band casino plans

Many south county residents have questions and concerns about the plans the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo has for the 277-acre parcel of land it owns south of Petaluma. Is it possible that another casino is in the offing for Sonoma County?

It's not clear, but some elected officials want it to be. In fact, Sonoma County Supervisors David Rabbit has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for information about the tribe's application to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to have those acres designated as sovereign land. Under the existing system, local jurisdictions often are left in the dark when a tribe seeks to have land taken into trust. That's crazy.

For the record, the tribe so far has not indicated plans for a casino. It has only indicated it wants the land declared sovereign in order to avoid paying taxes on it. But once the land is taken into trust, there are no guarantees. Residents at least deserve to know whether an application is on file. Thumbs up to Rabbit for trying to make this process more transparent. Sonoma County is still waiting for an answer.