Scotts Valley Casino - 2024 News Archive

Vallejo Casino Approved by City Council

November 23, 2024

The Vallejo City Council approved the $700 million Scotts Valley Casino Project this week. The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians are planning to build a 400,000-sq-ft casino resort on a 160-acre site owned by the tribe and located within Vallejo.

Before construction can start, the final approval will come from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The BIA is currently evaluating the project, and no timeframe has been given for the decision.

In the meantime, the City Council has asked the City Manager, Andrew Murray, to draft a Cooperative Agreement between the city and the tribe.

The Scotts Valley casino resort will be developed and managed by The Cordish Companies. The project includes a casino, restaurants, hotel and spa, and a family entertainment center. The property will also provide 24 single-family residences for some of the tribal members.

There is strong opposition to building the casino. The council members heard from the mayor and others about concerns of the environmental impact, economic stability, and the impact on smaller businesses. Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which owns Cache Creek Casino in Yolo County, claims the Vallejo casino will sit on one of their cultural sites.

Vallejo Casino Project | Next Steps

August 22, 2024

The deadline for submitting public comments on the Environmental Assessment of the proposed Scotts Valley Casino in Vallejo ended today. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, will now review the comments and information to determine whether or not to proceed with the next steps in the casino approval process.

No timeframe for the decision has been announced; however, the Scotts Valley Tribe is hoping for a favorable decision before the end of the year.

If favorable, the BIA may proceed with a more extensive study, an Environment Impact Study (EIS), to address public concerns about all the identified environmental issues to ensure each is solved or will be satisfactorily mitigated.

The Vallejo Casino Project faces opposition from Vallejo officials, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which owns Cache Creek Casino, and Gov. Gavin Newsom (See news story).

If the BIA decides to proceed with an Environment Impact Study, the final casino decision will be extended out another year.

Vallejo Casino Project opposed by California Gov. Newsom

August 22, 2024

California Governor Gavin Newsom has sent a letter to the US Department of the Interior (DOI) expressing his opposition to the Scotts Valley Casino Project planned for Vallejo by the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians.

The Scotts Valley Indians, which is a federally-recognized tribe headquartered in Lakeport, submitted an application to the DOI requesting approval to build a $700 million, 400,000-square-foot casino resort in Vallejo, California. The Scotts Valley application is currently under review by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), an agency within the Department of the Interior.

In July the Bureau of Indian Affairs published an environmental impact assessment about the casino project and set a 45-day period for public comments.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is one of the respondents to the assessment report. In a letter to the BIA, the Governor expressed his concerns about this casino project, as well as the Shiloh Casino project in Sonoma County.

"(I am) concerned that these specific projects are proceeding in a manner that would sidestep the state, ignore the concerns of tribal governments and other local communities and stretch the 'restored lands' exception beyond its legal limits - while failing to adequately consider whether there might be a better way."

- Gov. Gavin Newsom

Gov. Newsom's opposition to the new casinos is upported by the Lytton Rancheria of California, which owns the San Pablo Lytton Casino in Contra Costa County, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, which owns the Graton Resort Casino in Sonoma County, and the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, which owns the River Rock Casino, also in Sonoma County.

Vallejo Casino Project | July 2024 Update

July 22, 2024

The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians are seeking federal approval to build a casino in Vallejo, California. The tribe filed an application with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to build a $700 million casino resort near I-80 and Highway 37.

The BIA review process has been underway for the past year. On July 8, the agency published a report of an environmental impact assessment (EA) of the casino. The Environmental Assessment is available here for public review.

The report contains the following:

• "Purpose: The EA assesses the environmental impacts resulting from the acquisition of a 160-acre property (Project Site) into federal trust status for the benefit of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians for gaming purposes.

• "Proposed Action: Following the trust acquisition, the Tribe plans to develop a casino facility, Tribal housing, and a Tribal administration building on the site.

• "Location: The Project Site is within the City of Vallejo in Solano County, California, bordered by I-80 to the west, Columbus Parkway to the south, and undeveloped land to the north.

- Environmental Assessment | Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians

With the release of the Environmental Assessment, the BIA has opened a 30-day public review period to collect concerns, potential issues, and feedback for consideration of the Vallejo casino project.

The public can register for a virtual public on July 23 at 6 p.m. by visiting ScottsValleyCasinoEA.com.

Public comment may be submitted to the BIA as follows:

Postal Mail
Amy Dutschke, Regional Director
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Regional Office
2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2820, Sacramento, CA 95825

Email
Chad Broussard
Environmental Protection Specialist
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Region
chad.broussard@bia.gov
Use Subject "EA Comments, Scotts Valley Casino and Tribal Housing Project"

The deadline for submitting public comments is August 7, 2024. Mailed-in comments will be accepted up to August 22, 2024.

The information will be used by the BIA to decide whether to proceed with an Environment Impact Study.

Vallejo Casino Status | April 2024 Update

April 14, 2024

The U.S. Department of Interior is taking another look at the 2016 applications for a Vallejo casino resort filed by the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians. The first application seeks to establish 128 acres of reservation land in Vallejo, and the second seeks approval to build a casino on that land.

Both applications were rejected by the Department of Interior in 2019. The Tribe challenged the decision by filing its objections in the United States District Court District of Columbia. The District Court agreed with the Tribe and order the Department of Interior to perform a second review of the applications.

Last month the Interior Department contacted the director of the Pacific Regional Office of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, and requested another review the Vallejo casino applications.

The new review could lead to discussions between the Pacific Regional Office and the Tribe, as an early step in the federal process to evaluate the environmental impact of the casino. The Tribe is hoping additional steps will follow and eventually lead to federal approval.