The city council of Ridgecrest, a city in Kern County, California, near the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake was scheduled last week to hear an update on a proposed million off-reservation casino by the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, which is based 130 miles from Ridgecrest in Death Valley.
The controversial casino project was debated for much of last year. After five months of discussion the city council approved a 20-year municipal services agreement and a sale of 26 acres to the tribe for $5.5 million. The land is still in escrow. The tribe is looking at a 20,000-square foot casino with 349 slot machines and six gaming tables—a business that the tribe has reportedly described as “a family-run business.”
The issue is being brought back for review at the first council meeting of the New Year by two city council members who were elected on a platform of opposing the casino: Lindsey Stephens and Wallace Martin.
The city’s economic development manager, Gary Parsons has submitted questions from the council to the tribe and its development partner, Nigel White, including a request for an update on the project.
Among subjects that Parsons is interested in are whether the tribe would be pursuing a fee to trust application or a land swap/two-part determination in seeking to make the land tribal land.
“If land swap, what is the process? Will this be an act of Congress, and who will present it? Or if through the Bureau of Indian Affairs realty, who are they working with?” wrote Parsons.
Parsons also asked: “I have been approached by members of the community who stated they were asked by the developer to be an investor in the casino development. If funding is unavailable/unattainable or with the recent administration change this project has become a no go for the Tribe, would they like to exit the escrow agreement now?”
Until this week White had not gotten back to Parsons. Then he wrote that he had been ill but would get the answers to Parsons as soon as possible.
Council member Stephens said he planned to request a vote on drafting a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to be notified when the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process begins and that the city be designated as a “cooperating agency.”
