In spite of a resounding vote November 4 in California that indicates a deep reservoir of disapproval for off-reservation casinos in the Golden State, another tribe that wants to build an off-reservation casino, this one in Barstow, may go ahead with its plans.
The November vote on the North Fork Rancheria Band of Mono Indians compact may not even prevent that tribe from eventually building a casino. But supporters of the proposal by the Los Coyotes Band of Indians of San Diego to build more than 100 miles away in Barstow say the vote definitely doesn’t affect them.
Casino spokesman Tom Shields, quoted by the Desert Dispatch, said that the casino project will “move ahead as if the proposition never happened.” This is because Proposition 48 only affected the compact of the North Fork tribe and another tribe that would have benefited from it casino.
The Los Coyotes tribe and the city of Barstow have signed agreements that would provide a share of the proceeds of the $160 million casino project to the city. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has approved an environmental statement for the project and is processing a “two-step determination,” that would allow an exception to the general rule that a tribe cannot put land into trust unless it is near to its reservation.
