PRESS RELEASE
March 24, 2016
The Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians Tribal Council today announced it
has filed a lawsuit against California Governor Edmund G. Brown challenging the
legality of the Governor's concurrence in a 2012 decision by the Department of
the Interior that led to the North Fork Compact.
That compact, which was eventually rejected by 61 percent of California voters
(Proposition 48 in 2014), would have allowed Las Vegas-style casino gaming at a
305 acre site nearly 50 miles away from the North Fork Reservation.
"The new North Fork scheme not only ignores the will of California's voters, it
would undo decades of tribal gaming regulations and open the floodgates for
off-reservation casinos to go up in any land in the state," Picayune Rancheria
of Chukchansi Indians Tribal Chairwoman Claudia Gonzales said. "Our Tribal
Council is willing to stand up and defend Tribes like ours who have followed the
rules and to tell the Governor and other politicians to listen to the
overwhelming voice of Californians and stop the North Fork plan once and for
all."
The lawsuit (Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians v. Edmund G, Brown,
Governor of California), filed in Madera County Superior Court on March 18,
challenges the validity of Governor Brown's concurrence with then Secretary of
the U.S. Department of the Interior, Ken Salazar's determination to allow 305
acres in Madera County to be placed into trust for the North Fork Rancheria Band
of Mono Indians for casino gaming.
In his letter to the Secretary of the Interior, Governor Brown made it clear
that his concurrence was only being given because the compact that he was
entering into with the North Fork Band contained provisions addressing several
specific concerns. Included among those concerns was the impact the North Fork
casino would have on local governments and the Wiyot and Picayune Tribes. The
compact that addressed those concerns was rejected by Proposition 48 in November
2014 by 61 percent of Californians throughout the state, including the voters in
Madera County.
Since that overwhelming rejection by the voters, those supporting North Fork
have pursued their own legal options and continued to negotiate with Federal and
State authorities to revive their defeated plan.
"Unfortunately, the North Fork Tribe and their out-of-state investors and
special interests have made it clear they intend to ignore California's voters
and decades of compacts. We are standing on the side of California's voters and
their decisions," Chairwoman Gonzales said. "We are pursuing all of our options
- legal and legislative - to make sure that this new North Fork Casino plan does
not go forward."
Two weeks ago, the Tribe sponsored full-page ads in all of California's major
newspapers and a seven-day radio blitz alerting the public of the actions by
some politicians to ignore the will of the voters and move forward with a
compact. The lawsuit is part of the Picayune Rancheria's second prong of the
effort to stop this North Fork plan. In addition, the tribe is working with
their Washington D.C. representatives to pursue legislative remedies.
Return to California Casinos.
Most USA Players
CASINO • LIVE DEALER • POKER • SPORTSBOOK • RACEBOOK
Disclaimer: All images are copyright to their respective owners and are used by 500 Nations for informational purposes only.
500 Nations is an independent directory and information service free of any gaming operator's control and not affiliated with any casino.
Warning: You must ensure you meet all age and other regulatory requirements before entering a casino or placing a wager.
There are hundreds of jurisdictions in the world with Internet access and hundreds of different games and gambling opportunities available on the Internet.
Do not assume that Internet gaming sites are in compliance with the rules and regulations of every jurisdiction from which they accept players.
YOU are responsible for determining if it is legal for YOU to play any particular game or place any particular wager under the laws of the jurisdiction where you are located.