The Kings County, California Board of Supervisors has come out in support of a new compact agreement with the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Tribe, which operates the Tachi Palace Casino Resort near Fresno. The tribal-state compact, first signed in 1999, is set to expire in June.
“Revenue from the tribe’s casino directly funds the tribal government and allows the tribe to provide services to its members benefiting both the tribe as well as Kings County,” said county administrative officer Ed Hill.
According to the San Joaquin Valley Sun, the tribe is seeking a new deal that will last for 25 years. Tribal Chairman Leo Sisco thanked the county for its support.
“We are extremely grateful and thankful for the support that the county has given us, and we’re looking forward to a continued relationship. We want to be able to get this done,” Sisco said. “To give a little history on it, we did negotiate a compact—1.0 as we called it here—and in the end it did get denied by the … Department of Interior. But we feel very confident with the continued support of the county, the sheriff’s office, the fire department that we’re going to get this done.”
The California legislature ratified a previous version of the compact last September; Interior then requested revisions that were approved by Governor Gavin Newsom.
A letter from the board of supervisors stated, “The Tachi compact is vital to the continued operation of the Tachi Palace Casino Resort and the resulting benefits felt by the tribe, the Kings County community, as well as Californians generally.
“The amended compact establishes the framework by which the tribe would pay pro-rata costs of the state’s gaming regulatory costs and secures additional legal protections to facility standards, employees, and patrons, all identified as important to the State’s interest in protecting its citizens.
“Ultimately, the operation and important contributions of the Tachi Palace Casino Resort are essential to the continued well-being of the tribe and the economic, social, and cultural benefit of all Californians.”
