Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria backs Newsom's call to halt new casinos

Sonoma County is home to five federally recognized tribes.

photo credit: Courtesy of Koi Nation
The Koi Nation is proposing to build a new casino resort between Windsor and Healdsburg,
shown here in a rendering of the project.

The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, which runs the Graton Resort & Casino in Sonoma County, thanked Gov. Gavin Newsom for opposing casino proposals by rival tribes, the Koi Nation of Northern California and the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians.

In a letter on Tuesday to the Department of the Interior, the Governor's Office said both projects are outside the aboriginal territory of the tribes, and the department hasn't considered alternative locations within their Lake County homelands.

A move praised by Graton Chairman Greg Sarris.

"Basically what was at stake was our sovereign rights that were given to us by the BIA or Department of Interior, and now the way in which the BIA is breaking precedent that would actually take the rights they gave us away," Sarris said.

The Koi Nation is proposing a Shiloh Resort and Casino Project in Sonoma County, while the Pomo Indians are planning a Scotts Valley Casino and Tribal Housing Project in Solano County.

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.

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.
In 2022, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria sought to expand the Graton Resort & Casino by as much as 50%. The tribe broke ground on the $1 billion project in 2023.

River Rock Casino is now proposing an expansion. It would boost the size of the gaming floor and slot machines, and become a "resort," with a new hotel tower and spa.

The Koi Nation's proposal is its third attempt at acquiring land for 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.

"The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria appreciates Governor Newsom's support in protecting tribal sovereignty," said Federated Indians Chairman Greg Sarris. His tribe is comprised of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians.

"What made me so happy about the governor's letter is that he and his team thoroughly did their research and understood the issue from top to bottom," Sarris said. I have to say, as a English professor, having been an English professor for 35 years, it was a very well written letter."

Matthew Lee is Senior Advisor for Tribal Negotiations for Governor Newsom; in the letter he finds fault with the direction of the federal process and reiterates questions about the Koi Nation's historic links to Sonoma County.

Citing federal statutes, the letter from the governor's office states that tribes seeking to operate a casino outside of their historic lands, must get agreement from both the governor and other local tribes.

The letter's arguments reiterates ones made by Sarris.

"The governor, in his sensitivity to California Indian matters, understands what that would mean for California, where there's 110 federally recognized tribes in very small circumscribed territories," Sarris said. "It's a lot different from tribes in Oklahoma that had been removed all to one area from various places."

"We have repeatedly explained to Interior 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," Sarris said.

Dino Beltran, Vice Chair and Director of Development of the Koi Nation of Northern California in a statement to KRCB News said, "despite our nation’s best efforts to educate stakeholders about our eligibility to seek gaming-eligible trust land under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’s 'restored lands' exception, it is evident that the Governor’s opposition reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of federal law."

Beltran said the restored lands exception was "designed precisely to correct historic wrongs that rendered landless tribes like the Koi, depriving them of opportunities to develop and achieve economic self-sufficiency."

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.