The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria are apparently still angry with the price that they were forced to pay for land that now encompasses the Graton Resort and Casino, one of the largest casino resorts in California.
Despite an agreement with the former owner of the casino land that they will use the Ratto Group to haul trash from the Rohnert Park gaming resort, the tribe continues to use another vendor. The casino resort opened last November.
The tribe and the Ratto Group continue to wrangle over how much the tribe will pay for trash collection. Tribal Chairman Greg Sarris says the dispute is personal and revolves around the $100 million that his tribe was forced to pay to former owner James Ratto, and two other investors for the 279 acres now used by the casinos. Ratto and fellow investors originally purchased the land for $11.4 million.
According to Sarris, “I don’t like what Ratto did to us. In my opinion, we paid way more than the land was worth. That’s why I’m not fond of him at all.”
