Artist's rendering of the proposed North Fork Rancheria casino. Image from North Fork Casino Environmental Impact Statement
An off-reservation casino for the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians faces a ballot test with Proposition 48 in California:
Prop 48 gives voters a chance to strike down or enact a bill lawmakers passed last year approving an off-reservation tribal casino in the Central Valley. AB 277, as it was known, okayed a deal whereby the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians would be allowed to build a casino in Madera County, 38 miles from its reservation in the Sierra Nevada foothills. As part of the law, the Wiyot Tribe, whose land is in Northern California, would collect 2.5 to 3.5 percent of net slot machine revenue from the North Fork's casino. This deal would last 20 years. The North Fork tribe decided not to seek a casino on its land in the Sierra National Forest, near Yosemite National Park, because it is remote and environmentally sensitive. The Wiyot Tribe agreed not to build a casino on its land near the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge after the state cautioned that doing so could be environmentally unsound. As a part of that agreement, the state agreed the Wiyot Tribe could collect some revenue from the North Fork's casino instead.Get the Story:
Prop 48 Cheat Sheet: Off-Reservation Gambling in the Central Valley (KCET 10/14) Also Today:
PROP. 48: Casino measure could have wide-ranging effects (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 10/13)
Supervisors approve campaign finance limit (The Eureka Times-Standard 10/15) 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
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