Fresno Bee: Reconsider Casino Location

Tight credit creates chance for second thoughts on Highway 99 site.
Tuesday, Dec. 02, 2008

The effort to build a $250 million casino on Highway 99 north of Madera has been slowed by the downturn in the economy. This gives the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians an opportunity to reconsider the casino’s location and build it in a rural area closer to the tribe’s homeland.

Station Casinos of Las Vegas, the tribe’s partner in the proposed off-reservation casino, could file for bankruptcy, and gambling industry analysts believe that would limit plans to go forward with the project.

We have supported Indian gaming on reservation land in rural areas. Our opposition to a casino on Highway 99 is based on its location. We believe the North Fork Rancheria should be able to build a casino if it’s in an appropriate location.

Building the casino on a major California freeway would turn the 305 acres at Avenue 17 into a congested area. It is not an appropriate location.

We understand that the tribe is handicapped when locating a casino site. The North Fork tribe lost its original rancheria decades ago after the federal government terminated recognition of 41 California rancherias. The government, years later, settled a lawsuit by restoring the status of the tribes. But in the case of North Fork, the rancheria was transferred to individuals and the tribe itself was “landless.”

The tribe could remedy this situation by seeking land in a rural area closer to its traditional homeland.

The Highway 99 site was chosen because of its potential to generate gamblers from a long distance. Richard Wells, a Reno gaming consultant, told The Bee last week that it’s an attractive project because the casino would be next to Highway 99 and would be highly visible. While that may be a plus for the casino, that’s why we oppose the location.

Tribal leaders say they still intend to pursue the Highway 99 location, and would like to break ground in 2010. At some point the economy will turn around and the project will be viable again.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has negotiated a compact with the tribe that would pay the state about $25 million a year. That compact still must be approved by the Legislature, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs must approve the casino’s site.

We believe this is the wrong location and this is a good time to reconsider other sites.

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