The chairman of the Wilton Rancheria isn’t saying whether his tribe is in negotiations with the state of California tribal state gaming compact.
The tribe wants to build a $400 million casino in Elk Grove in the not yet completed mall owned by Howard Hughes Corporation. Reportedly the Bureau of Indian Affairs put 36 acres in the mall into trust for the tribe, but so far that action has not been published in the National Register, something that is always done before land is considered to be officially tribal land.
The application was approved by the Obama administration in its last full day in office, but has not been confirmed by the Trump administration.
This discrepancy was noted by opponents of the casino, who have sued in federal court. The judge in the case has put the lawsuit on hold while asking the BIA if it can resolve the issue.
When asked to comment on whether the tribe was talking with the state about a Class III compact, Chairman Raymond Hitchcock told Comstock’s Magazine “no comment” and said he couldn’t say when the casino would open. The casino would be the nearest Indian casino to the state capitol in Sacramento. Thus, it would be competition for existing card rooms in the area.
The tribe has been working to put land into trust since it obtained federal recognition in 2009, 45 years after it was revoked. Hitchcock did say that he’s committed to bringing a $500 million tribal casino to fruition. “I feel like [this is] what I’m supposed to be doing right now,” he said. “I can’t really fathom what that really means, it just feels like I’m doing the right thing.”
Besides suing in federal court, the opponents have also sued the city of Elk Grove, claiming that council members secretly colluded to put the land into trust to prevent citizens of the city from qualifying a lawsuit to put the actions of the city council to a referendum vote. The council voted to allow the Howard Hughes corporation out of a development agreement in order to free up the 36 acres to sell to the tribe and then, according to the lawsuit, delayed matters in order to let the federal government put the land into trust—thus rendering moot any further action by the city.
Hitchcock told Comstock’s Magazine, We’ve struggled for so many years, and Native American history is a jaded past, but we’re given a golden opportunity now.” He has become so devoted to the cause they he gave up running his business that he’s had for two decades and has concentrated all his efforts on the casino.
“I feel like I’m having a positive effect and I’m making something,” he said. “that I’m a part of something that’s bigger than myself.”
The tribe proposes a casino, 302 room hotel, convention space, six restaurants and 110,260 square foot casino floor. Unlike most tribal casinos, this one would be within a city limit. That fact relates to the fact that most tribes are based in rural reservations. This tribe is different from most tribes, however, in that it was landless, and so purchased land within its aboriginal homeland.
Locating a casino in the unfinished mall could be a financial boon for the City of Elk Grove, especially since the adjacent land is already zoned for commercial use. That use hit a big rock during the great recession and the 900-acre mall has laid unfinished ever since 2008. That was the genesis of the city’s agreement with the Howard Hughes Corp. to develop the mall.
The 2016 agreement between city and tribe calls for the tribe to pay $200 million over the next 20 years to the city and County of Sacramento for emergency services, roads and other services. The tribe would also employ an estimated 1,750 local residents.
