Summary:
- Vallejo’s mayor says the city should stay neutral while a federal review of a proposed tribal casino continues.
- Two tribes are clashing over the project, with Yocha Dehe leaders challenging Scotts Valley’s claims to the land.
- Scotts Valley says the casino could bring jobs and revenue to Vallejo despite the ongoing dispute.
A long-running dispute over a proposed casino in Vallejo, California is heating up again, but the city’s mayor says she plans to stay out of it for now.
Earlier this month, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation sent a letter to the Vallejo City Council and Mayor Andrea Sorce asking the city not to move forward with a memorandum of understanding tied to a casino proposal from the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians.
On Tuesday, Sorce made it clear she intends to take a hands-off approach while the issue works its way through the federal system.
“The City Should Let the Federal Process Play Out”
Sorce wrote to the Times-Herald on Tuesday,
I have maintained since the outset that I believe the city should let the federal process play out and remain neutral out of respect for that process. My position is that it is not our place to take sides in a sovereign land dispute, nor should we be getting involved in projects while the reconsideration is in process.
The Scotts Valley tribe hopes to build a large casino complex near the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 37 in Solano County, close to the Vallejo city boundary. The $700 million project would include a casino operating around the clock, 24 single-family homes, a tribal administration building, a parking garage, and a 45-acre biological preserve.
Strong Objections
In a letter dated March 2, tribal leaders said Scotts Valley has no legitimate connection to the land and accused the group of misrepresenting history. The dispute centers on claims involving Chief Shuk Augustine, a Pomo leader who died in 1903. Scotts Valley says Augustine once lived in Vallejo and used the land, but Yocha Dehe leaders say that claim is not true.
The March 2 letter states
By its words and actions, Scotts Valley seeks nothing less than erasure of the Patwin connection to our Solano County homelands. We know those are not the values Vallejo stands for, and we ask that you refrain from helping Scotts Valley perpetrate such an injustice.
The letter also argues that the city should avoid taking any action while federal authorities review earlier decisions tied to the project.
Scotts Valley leaders strongly pushed back, calling the situation “yet again another example of the owners of Cache Creek Casino putting their massive profits ahead of the Vallejo community”.
Chairman Shawn Davis was even more direct:
It’s offensive and disappointing, but it’s not surprising that Yocha Dehe continues to distort and manufacture red herrings to disguise their greed.
Despite the legal uncertainty, Scotts Valley announced earlier this year that it plans to open a smaller preview casino at the proposed site at 200 Columbus Parkway. The temporary setup would use two modular buildings and feature a limited number of Class II slot machines.
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