The Estom Yumeka Maidu Tribe of the Enterprise Rancheria last week filed suit in federal court over the state of California’s failure to negotiate a compact with the tribe.
The tribe accuses the state of violating the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) by failing to negotiate “in good faith.”
The tribe wants to build a casino in Butte County in Northern California. California Governor Jerry Brown signed a compact with the tribe but the legislature declined to pass it. The tribe has been trying to build a casino and hotel on 40 acres for 12 years.
The suit asks the court to order the state to conclude a compact with the tribe, or to assign a mediator if the state fails to act.
Several neighboring gaming tribes of the Maidus are in the midst of challenging the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ action putting the tribe’s land into trust.
