- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Gaming
Three tribes have filed legal challenges against the U.S. Department of the Interior’s approval of a casino project by the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians in Vallejo.
The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the Kletsel Dehe Band of Wintun Indians jointly filed a lawsuit arguing the Interior Department’s decision gave their ancestral Patwin lands to an “unrelated Pomo tribe.” The lawsuit, filed on Mar. 24, seeks to overturn the decision, which authorized an urban casino development. The United Auburn Indian Community (UAIC) filed a separate lawsuit challenging the same approval.
Both lawsuits seek to overturn the Interior Department’s approval and require a lawful review of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians’ trust land application. According to a joint press release, the tribes contend the decision was made in the final days of the Biden administration and violated several federal laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Indian Reorganization Act, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act.
“It is heartbreaking that the Biden Administration chose to spend its final days approving a mega-project on our sacred Patwin homelands without ever consulting our Tribe,” Yocha Dehe Chairman Anthony Roberts said in a statement. “Our filing shows how former DOI officials acted recklessly and illegally in an effort to avoid federal laws which are in place to ensure transparency, fairness, and agency accountability.”
The UAIC, which operates Thunder Valley Casino Resort, claims the approval was rushed and politically motivated. Their lawsuit states the Interior Department failed to properly consult with impacted tribal governments.
“The approval of this casino is a blatant violation of federal law and sets a dangerous precedent for tribes that have followed the established rules for Indian gaming,” UAIC Chairman John L. Williams said. “For decades, our tribe has worked to uphold the integrity of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and prevent opportunistic gaming proposals that ignore history and harm responsible tribal governments.”
According to the UAIC press release, the Interior Department previously rejected similar applications from the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians three times under different presidential administrations, citing a lack of historical connection to Vallejo. Rejections came in 1991, 2012, and 2019. The project returned for review after a court order in 2023, and received approval on Jan. 10 of this year, according to prior Tribal Business News reporting.
The proposed casino spans 615,000 square feet at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 37. The UAIC lawsuit cites five key legal violations, including failure to demonstrate a significant historical connection as required by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, absence of a full Environmental Impact Statement as required by the National Environmental Policy Act, and inadequate scrutiny under the Indian Reorganization Act. The lawsuit also alleges the Interior Department failed to consult with impacted tribes.
The Scotts Valley Band’s project proposal is one of several efforts by tribes across the West Coast to take lands into trust and establish casinos away from their existing reservations. Tribal Business News reporting points to similar efforts by the Coquille Indian Tribe in Medford, Oregon, and the Koi Nation near Windsor, Calif. Both the Coquille and Koi Nation projects have also prompted litigation by nearby tribes, and a plea for the Trump administration’s Department of Interior to revoke the approvals.
“This is about more than a casino, it’s about protecting the integrity of the land-into-trust process and ensuring decisions are made fairly, lawfully, and based on true historical ties,” Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation Chairman Charlie Wright said in a statement. “Allowing this approval to stand sets an ominous precedent that undermines Tribal sovereignty and weakens the foundation of federal-tribal land policy.”
