The Koi Nation of Northern California accused Gov. Gavin Newsom of having a “fundamental misunderstanding” of federal law Friday after he urged rejection of the tribe’s efforts to open a casino in Sonoma County.
Newsom wrote to the U.S. Department of the Interior on Tuesday saying the Koi Nation’s project and that of another tribe, the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians in Solano County, should be rejected because they are outside the aboriginal territory of the tribes.
Federally recognized Native American tribes are permitted to establish gaming operations within the limits of their reservation.
The Koi Nation doesn’t have a reservation but argues that it qualifies to run gaming under an exception for “restored lands.”
The tribe says a 2019 federal court decision affirmed its right “to correct historic wrongs that rendered landless tribes like the Koi, depriving them of opportunities to develop and achieve economic self-sufficiency.”
“It is evident that the governor’s opposition reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of federal law,” the tribe said in a statement.
The proposed casinos by the Koi Nation and the Scotts Valley Band are opposed by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, which runs the Graton Resort & Casino in Sonoma County.
“The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria appreciates Governor Newsom’s support in protecting tribal sovereignty,” Federated Indians Chairman Greg Sarris said in a press release. His tribe is comprised of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians.
The Federated Indians argue that “these projects will have devastating impacts to the rights and cultural resources of our tribe and others in whose ancestral territory these prospective projects are located.”
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has the final call on the proposals of the Koi Nation of Northern California and the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians.
Sonoma County is home to five federally recognized tribes.
The Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians opened River Rock Casino near Geyserville, the county’s first casino, in 2002. It’s now proposing an expansion.
In 2013, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria opened Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park, taking a large chunk of the same gaming customer pie from River Rock. The tribe broke ground on a $1 billion expansion last year.
The Koi Nation’s proposal is its third attempt to set up a casino. The tribe was unsuccessful in attempts near the Oakland Airport in 2005 and on Mare Island near Vallejo in 2014, according to Sonoma County records.
