The State of California last week petitioned a federal judge to maintain the two-week restraining order it issued to keep firearms 300 feet away from the Rolling Hills Casino in Corning, which is owned by the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians.
“The court’s temporary restraining order effectively defused what was a volatile situation and has allowed local and state law enforcement to reduce their presence at the Rolling Hills Casino,” said Attorney General Kamala Harris in asking that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California maintain the order, which also keeps armed security officers away from other tribal facilities.
The state intervened when rival factions of the tribe, each claiming authority to run the casino, began confronting each other with weapons, including assault rifles. Deputies of the Tehama County Sheriff’s Department, assisted by the California Highway Patrol, have interposed themselves between the factions to preserve the peace, but at extreme cost to the department, whose limited resources have been strained to the limit, with more than half of its deputies assigned to the tribe at any moment.
The department finally got some relief when the judge issued the restraining order on June 18.
The battle has been going on since April 12, when about a third of the tribe’s membership were removed from the rolls, including four members of the tribal council, leaving only the chairman, who then filled the vacancies with his own nominees.
Although the two factions appeared to be on the verge of opening fire on each other several times, both sides said they were happy at the restraining order. They are moving towards mediation by a local official of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Meanwhile, the casino continues to operate. The state supports keeping it open by a restraining order that is “least intrusive and most neutral” to maintain the status quo and public safety.
The faction of ousted council members led by Vice Chairman David Swearinger have said they would like to see the casino shut down in order to force a solution. The faction led by Chairman Andrew Freeman oppose that option, saying that it would hurt employees and deprive the tribe of income.
