CORRUPT CHUKCHANSI TRIBE Stands AGAINST New Tribal Casinos. Concerned about RULES, after Eliminating 600 of their OWN TRIBE.

The CHAIRWOMAN of the CORRUPT Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, which is missing $50 MILLION dollars, has eliminated 600 of their own people, elders and children included, wants YOUR  SUPPORT in keeping another tribe from bettering themselves with casino gaming.   All of a sudden PRCI is concerned about the...... rules.   

By now, you have probably heard that the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians is supporting the California Compact Protection Act, H.R. 5079. This is true. Because we are very aware that the North Fork and Enterprise Bands are circulating rumors that Picayune only supports this legislation out of a fear of competition, we felt it necessary to write to explain our position.

The North Fork and Enterprise Bands are proposing highly controversial off-reservation casinos well outside their existing tribal areas, in the aboriginal territory of other tribes. These projects are not only opposed by the surrounding tribes, they were also rejected by 61% of California’s voters. So, while Picayune will not pretend that it is not concerned about the economic impact that the North Fork off-reservation project will definitely have on our on-reservation casino, we are equally concerned about the anti IGRA backlash that has already been generated in California, and that will begin to be generated elsewhere, if North Fork’s off-reservation casino is forced on our State’s voters.

The federal court’s decision in North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians v. State of California, No. 15-cv-00419 (E.D. Cal.) represents the first time that a federal court has found a state to be acting in “bad faith” for refusing to sign an off-reservation gaming compact under a two-part determination on a site specifically rejected by a statewide referendum. It also represents the first time that a federal court has appointed a mediator who has requested the Secretary of the Interior to impose procedures allowing off-reservation Class III gaming on a site acquired in this manner. Allowing federal courts to authorize two-part determination off-reservation gaming sites over a state’s express objection presents a very real danger to IGRA, to on-reservation gaming operations, and to the delicate balance that many tribes have struck with their state neighbors.

The North Fork Band’s efforts to force the approval of an off-reservation casino site has already fueled anti-gaming sentiments in California and in Congress, and it would be unwise to ignore the risks of this decision being left unchecked. State officials across the U.S. are not going to sit quietly by and let off-reservation gaming proliferate. When this project was first advanced, it was the voters of California, not just its elected officials, who demanded a statewide referendum and vetoed the North Fork Madera site by a vote of 61% to 39%. This said something to us, and it should to you as well.  OP:  There SHOULD be anti-gaming sentiments, because of actions of tribes like Chukchansi, Pala, Pechanga, Enterprise, Redding...to name just a few

The proposals of the North Fork and Enterprise Bands also have put a proposed Carcieri fix in jeopardy. Specifically, certain members of Congress have already suggested that North Fork’s and Enterprise’s efforts justify their demands for adding additional limitations in any Carcieri fix that is proposed by any Member of Congress. Others have suggested that a Carcieri fix is no longer necessary due to these proposals. Other opponents of the project are using this decision to push for an expanded state and local government role in the review and approval of all future fee-to-trust applications. The House Natural Resources Committee has already taken testimony from the California State Association of Counties, which was already calling for a county government role in the approval of all new fee-to-trust acquisitions before the North Fork decision was handed down. Many members of the House Resources Committee, who ignored this organization’s request at the time of that hearing, may well take a difference stance if the North Fork proposal continues to advance. That will hurt every tribe in the country.

Given the increasing anti off-reservation-Indian gaming sentiments resulting from the federal court’s decision in the North Fork case, and from the aggressive demands for off-reservation gaming by Enterprise, federal legislation certainly was going to be introduced in Congress. With this reality in mind, Picayune recognized the importance of working with federal legislators at the outset to keep the legislation as narrow as possible. Due in large part to our efforts, H.R. 5079 deals only with Class III off-reservation gaming in California; deals exclusively with land thought eligible for gaming through a two-part determination over the objection of the state or its voting public; and does not add any new compact approval conditions to the California Class III gaming process. Picayune is determined to continue working with Congressional leaders to keep H.R. 5079 limited to the specific problems posed by these two-part determination projects in California.

Class III compacting did not come easy in California. It took years of work and millions of dollars. Anyone familiar with the history of Indian gaming compacts in California knows that the positive relationship that our casinos now enjoy with the State only came about when the California Tribes came together and agreed to keep Indian gaming on or contiguous to their existing Rancherias and Reservations. In fact, history reflects that anti-IGRA legislation only stopped being introduced in Congress when the California Tribes stopped threatening to place casinos in off-reservation urban areas of our state.

READ THE COMPLETE story HERE: Claudia Gonzales: Off-reservation gaming fuels attacks on tribes