A group of apparent opponents of a casino in Shasta County, California have sued the Board of Supervisors over their financial agreement with the Redding Rancheria, which proposes to move its Win-River Resort and Casino to property next to a freeway near Redding, the Record Searchlight reported February 21.
Just a few days after the group California Land Stewardship Council formed (February 5) it filed suit to overturn the agreement that the Board of Supervisors signed July 25, 2023. At the time County Counsel, the attorney office that works for the County, advised against the contract, stating that it couldn’t guarantee that the agreement was legally sufficient.
In their lawsuit the “Stewardship Council” argues that the supervisors “gave away millions of dollars of public funds via an agreement with the developer of a casino” and adds, “The claimed purpose of those payments is to mitigate the Project’s impacts related to providing County services, and other fiscal impacts relating to traffic and roads. However, the Board did not disclose or perform any cost-benefit or other analysis to determine whether the payments called for by the Agreement were actually sufficient to compensate the County.”
It notes that the supervisors ignored a “scathing” report by County Counsel.”
The board ignored its own procedures for approving contracts, the lawsuit alleges. It adds, “The financial terms of the Agreement are egregious and constitute waste of public funds.”
Under the terms of the agreement the tribe will pay the County a one-time fee of $1.6 million, instead of annual fees and impact fees. It will make a one-time payment of $1 million for law enforcement and another one-time payment of $1 million for fire and emergency services. Plus a $1,000 per service call for police and $10,000 per call for service for emergency services.
The agreement was made over the objections of Sheriff Michael Johnson, District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett and county Fire Department Chief Sean O’Hara.
A former public defender Jeff Gorder told the Searchlight, “Hearing the agreement without consulting county counsel, the risk management department, the sheriff, the DA, the county fire chief: it seemed like a lawsuit waiting to happen.” Gorder is a spokesman for a group that seeks to recall one of the supervisors.
Redding Rancheria CEO Tracy Edwards in a statement called the lawsuit a “political stunt” that was an attempt to delay the casino relocation project.
She said most allegations in the lawsuit are false. She said that if the County can show that the payments are insufficient, that a new rate can be renegotiated.
