California | Opinion

Editorial: Reject North Fork Rancheria's off-reservation casino

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Artist's rendering of the proposed North Fork Rancheria casino. Image from North Fork Casino Environmental Impact Statement

Newspaper urges voters to reject Proposition 48 in order to prevent the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians from opening an off-reservation casino in California

We continue to support Indian gaming in California, which not only has allowed the state’s 58 gaming tribes to prosper, but also has been an economic boost to the local economies in which they are located.
That’s why it pains us to urge a No vote on Prop. 48, which would ratify gaming compacts between California and the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians and the Wiyot Tribe.
The North Fork tribe proposes a casino in Madera County, with a portion of the revenue going to the Wiyot Tribe.
We would have no problem whatsoever if these compacts were similar to those the state entered into with other gaming tribes. In every case, they stipulated that the casino would be built on reservation land.
The North Fork compact departs from long-established precedent. It would allow the tribe to build its proposed casino on nontribal land. The North Fork reservation is located in the Sierra National Forest, while the North Fork Rancheria Resort Hotel and Casino would be nearly 40 miles away, near the city of Madera, on Highway 99.

Get the Story:
Editorial: No on Prop. 48, Indian gaming (The Orange County Register 10/8)

California Court of Appeal Decision:
Picayune Rancheria v. Brown (September 24, 2014)

Bureau of Indian Affairs Documents:
Press Release | Fact Sheet: North Fork Rancheria Decision | Section 20 Determination: North Fork Rancheria