Rohnert Park - Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria Casino?

Anyone interested in how local governments and communities do play a major role in deciding whether casinos open or expand in their areas should keep an eye on this one. It will be very interesting to see how this one plays out and may be a snap-shot of things to come for our valley should the Chumash ever seek major expansion.

Rohnert Park is a community of about 40,000 and is about 50 miles north of San Francisco. It is also the home of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria who were officially recognized by the U.S. government on December 27, 2000.

In the spring of 2003, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria announced their intention to build a casino development on 2,000 acres fronting San Pablo Bay near Sears Point in Sonoma County. After much opposition from elected officials, environmentalists, and county residents, the Tribe withdrew their proposal for the bay front site. In the summer of 2004, the developer (Las Vegas-based Station Casinos) and the Tribe selected a 360-acre site just outside the northwest corner of Rohnert Park's urban growth boundary for their proposed casino development.

The tribe has a very long uphill battle. They must first transfer their land into federal trust and then negotiate a state gaming compact with the governor. Two hurdles that industry experts said could take years to clear.

'They have a lot of mountains to climb,' said Howard Dickstein, a Sacramento attorney who represents tribes seeking casinos. 'It's obviously three to four years off.'

It is reported that they are currently negotiating with the governor this month. County Deputy Administrator Lori Norton said any negotiation at this point is premature. She said there are plenty of hoops for the tribe to jump through before talks can begin, such as completing an environmental impact report and placing the land in question into trust.

The environmental study begun in February 2004 is required by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Its purpose is to analyze the effects of the casino, its proposed 300-room hotel and a performing arts center on such things as wastewater disposal, ground-water depletion, winter flooding and traffic.

The study is a prerequisite for the trust application and a compact with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. A draft was prepared earlier this year and circulated among cooperating government agencies. It was returned with comments and is being processed for public viewing. When complete, the study will be released to the public for at least 60 days, during which time a hearing will be conducted to review environmental impacts and measures to resolve them.

Like I have mentioned before….these “deals” do not happen overnight, or in a few weeks or out of sight or reach of the general public. The people of Rohnert Park and their local government officials will have years of voicing their opinions, pro or con, on this issue and it is my opinion that they will play a major role in deciding whether or not the Graton Rancheria Tribe get their casino or not.
Keep an eye on this one……

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federated_Indians_of_Graton_Rancheria http://www.kcbs.com/pages/833549.php?contentType=4&contentId=819093