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Opinion: Vote yes to support North Fork Rancheria gaming deal

After decades, the North Fork Tribe had reclaimed a fraction of its former territory for the benefit of its people and local community.

Fear mongering by opponents about "reservation shopping," "off-reservation casinos," "open floodgates," and "broken promises" sounds ominous but is disingenuous. This project has been extensively reviewed and approved by two gubernatorial administrations, two federal administrations and numerous courts.

In 2006, the leader of the "No" side stated: "This [North Fork project] is not reservation shopping ... This is the state exercising its authority to locate gaming where it is wanted" (San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 4, 2006).

Gov. Brown called North Fork's approval process "thorough" and "lasting over seven years" when he supported the project. He said, "I expect there will be few requests from other tribes that will present the same kind of exceptional circumstances to support a similar expansion of tribal gaming land."

Prop. 48 is not about "reservations" -- it is about whether local, state and tribal governments will benefit from negotiated, contractual agreements that make up two compacts.

A "yes" vote on 48 preserves a "deal" and $600 million in revenue sharing to local, state and tribal governments from these compacts.