The city council in Vallejo, California, voted 6-1 on Thursday to focus solely on "industrial" uses for Mare Island, a decision that appears to lock tribes out of the development process.
The Elem Colony and the Koi Nation submitted bids to put an off-reservation casino on the island. But most council members weren't thrilled about the potentially controversial nature of such a development.
“I don’t think it’s the use we want for our city and I don’t think it’s the image we want for our city," Mayor Osby Davis said during a public meeting, The Vallejo Times-Herald reported.
Despite the vote, Chairman Agustin Garcia of the Elem Colony doesn't believe the "industrial" focus excludes a casino. The tribe was reportedly going to ask Congress to place the gaming site in trust.
“As far as I’m concerned, just saying the usage should be industrial doesn’t eliminate gaming altogether,” Garcia told The San Francisco Chronicle.
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