"We have no problem with Indian gaming, which generates $7.5 billion a year for the state's 59 federally recognized tribes with gambling operations, and which provides each of the state's 50 nongaming tribes $1 million a year.
We are concerned, however, that the tribes propose to build their casinos many miles outside their reservations. During the waning days of the most recent legislative session, Gov. Jerry Brown approved both the proposed North Fork and Enterprise casinos. The Interior Department, which oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, has given the Mono and Maidu casino projects tentative approval. Now the tribes merely need an OK from the Legislature to break ground on their gambling venues. But before lawmakers rubber-stamp the approvals by the governor and the Interior Department, they need to seriously consider what it will mean if Mono and Maidu are allowed to move forward." Get the Story: