The Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians in Central California July 1 filed suit to try to prevent the nearby North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians from opening a casino.
The tribe’s complaint contends that the North Fork tribe is not able to use its land for gaming, despite the fact that the Bureau of Indian Affairs approved of that and California Governor Jerry Brown signed a compact with the tribe. The legislature also ratified it.
That’s when the voters of California stepped in. A group called Stand Up for California, armed with funds from Chukchansi and other gaming tribes, were able to qualify an initiative that California voters strongly supported that repealed the compact on the grounds that the land was off-reservation land.
The tribe issued a press release that said, in part, “These legal actions are required because North Fork’s backers are ignoring existing law and the will of California’s voters who overwhelmingly rejected the plan just a few years ago.”
The Chukchansi claims that the competing casino, if built, would cause “significant financial harm.” The casino reopened early this year after being closed for more than a year due to a feud within the tribe over governance. The tribe lost millions of dollars and more than 1,000 workers were put out of work.
The Chukchansi are also working with a local representative to sponsor H.R.5079, the California Compact Protection Act, which would prevent the North Fork tribe from opening a casino. The bill was filed in April but so far no action on it has been taken.
