- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Gaming
The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians has filed a federal lawsuit and an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order against the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The lawsuit, filed in a Washington, D.C. federal court, contests the agency's reconsideration of the tribe's 2025 gaming eligibility determination. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Senior Advisor Scott Davis are also named in the suit.
The dispute centers on a planned $700 million casino project in Vallejo, Calif. In January, under the Biden administration, the Interior granted the tribe's fee-to-trust application, approving the development of a large-scale casino complex alongside housing and administrative facilities.
On March 24, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the Kletsel Dehe Band of Wintun Indians challenged that decision in court. The United Auburn Indian Community filed a separate lawsuit challenging the same approval.
Three days later, the Interior informed the Scotts Valley tribe that it was rescinding its previous determination to reassess the matter.
In response, Scotts Valley condemned the federal agency’s move, calling it “sudden and unlawful,” per a report by Calif. local news publication Lake County News. The tribe asserted that the decision disregards prior federal approvals and undermines years of legal and administrative processes.
Scotts Valley Chairman Shawn Davis sharply criticized the federal government’s reversal on a long-sought casino approval.
“This is like trying to replay a football game after the final whistle has blown and the score has been posted,” Davis said in a statement obtained by trade publication Casino.org. “We won. The process is over. We shouldn’t have to replay the game because others don’t like the outcome.”
The tribe has requested immediate judicial intervention, arguing that the agency's actions could cause significant harm. Scotts Valley maintains that federal obligations and gaming regulations support its position, stating in its complaint that it “remains steadfast in its mission to exercise its sovereign rights, develop its economy, and hold the federal government accountable to its promises.”
