The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake negotiated a new Class III gaming compact with California Gov. Jerry Brown (D).
The deal replaces one the tribe signed during the Schwarzenegger administration. The Bureau of Indian Affairs rejected it due to revenue-sharing requirements that violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. "We had to scale back the project twice" under the old compact, Chairwoman Sherry Treppa told The Lake County News. The Schwarzenegger deal "squeezed the life out of us," she said. The deal authorizes up to 750 slot machines. The state will take a 15 percent cut only if the tribe operates more than 600 machines. The compact is the first negotiated by Brown. Get the Story: