On August 4, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new tribal state gaming compact with the Tule River Tribe that will allow it to move its Eagle Mountain Casino from its present location in Porterville to a 40-acre parcel next to the Porterville Municipal Airport.
Besides relocating the original casino, the tribe will also add a 250-room hotel, 29,000 square feet of convention space, dining, an entertainment lounge and 1,700 seat concert venue. The Tule River Tribe says it wants to build at a safer location where there will be fewer accidents, according to Tribal Chairman Neil Peyron.
The compact must also be approved by the state legislature.
Prior to the governor’s action, the city of Porterville had sent a letter of support to Sacramento. It asked the state legislature “to ratify the compact as soon as reasonably practical to enable the tribe to move forward with the relocation project.
“The tribe has demonstrated its commitment to ensure any gaming activity undertaken by the tribe has minimal impacts on the City and surrounding community, which is reflected in a memorandum of understanding between the city and the ttribe.”
Besides the Tule River compact, Newsom also signed compacts with the Ione Band of Miwok Indians, the Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians, the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians and the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation.
The Ione Band compact will allow it to build a casino with off-track betting, card tables and 1,200 slots on land adjacent to State Highway 49 in Amador County. It would be the third Indian casino in the vicinity.
Tribal Chairwoman Sara Dutschke said the compact took the tribe of 750 members two decades to achieve. She told the Sacramento Business Journal, “We’re excited to restore land and start to build a homeland for our people beyond the gaming aspects.”
