Casino law would call for voters' OK 7/23/2008, Press Democrat
The bill authored by Huffman, D-San Rafael, would require a tribe with newly acquired land to have its compact for gaming approved by voters in the county where the casino would be located. Attorneys who deal with Indian law and gaming also said Huffman's bill could backfire. "The lawyers will feed off it like sharks on chum," said Tom Gede, a former special policy adviser on Indian issues in the state Attorney General's Office. He noted that federal law requires the state to negotiate "in good faith" with a tribe that is eligible for Class III, or Las Vegas-style gaming. If the governor agreed to the compact and the county or city disapproved it, the tribe might file a lawsuit claiming the state failed to complete the contract in good faith, according to Gede, who also teaches federal Indian gaming law at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento.

Pechanga to lay off hundreds of workers7/23/2008, The Desert Sun
The Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, one of the largest Indian gaming industry employers in California, announced plans Tuesday to lay off up to 400 of its 4,700 employees, a move that trims its workforce by nearly 9 percent. The economy was blamed. "For months, we have resisted the pressure to lay team members off," Amy Minniear, president of the Pechanga Development Corp., said in a statement. "But because of the prolonged economic downturn, we must downsize in order to adjust to the current market conditions and position ourselves for success once the economy recovers."

Pechanga casino to lay off 400, citing market conditions
7/22/2008, The Press-Enterprise The Pechanga Resort & Casino announced Tuesday it is laying off about 400 workers because high gas prices and the struggling economy are keeping customers away. The casino, owned by the Pechanga Band of Luiseņo Indians, is the second-largest private employer in Riverside County and the largest in the Temecula area. The hotel and casino, with 4,700 workers, is second only to Stater Bros. Markets in private sector employment in the county. The cut amounts to nearly 9 percent of the resort's workforce. The tribe was one of the first in the region to expand and open a resort after voters approved Las Vegas-style Indian casinos in 2000. The tribe draws gamblers from across Southern California. Amy Minniear, president of the Pechanga Development Corp., said in a statement that laying off workers was "the most difficult decision" the tribe has had to make in the 13 years of its casino business.

 

Class II gaming decimation is feared in wake of Metlakatla decision 7/23/2008, Indian Country Today WASHINGTON - On June 4, only six days after receiving a request to review and approve a game-specific amendment to the Metlakatla Indian Community Tribal Gaming Ordinance, National Indian Gaming Commission Chairman Philip N. Hogen disapproved the amendment because the ''one-touch'' game it describes in detail as Class II bingo is actually a ''facsimile'' game of chance, he stated. ''This game is therefore Class III and cannot be operated without a compact.''


Elk Valley Rancheria, California, Selects Hnedak Bobo Group to Design 7/22/2008, New Blaze
The Elk Valley Rancheria, California announces that Hnedak Bobo Group (HBG) Architects has been chosen from an extensive pool of designers to plan and design the Elk Valley Resort and Casino, a new destination resort on the Tribe's 203.5-acre Martin Ranch property in Crescent City. The development will be nestled on trust land among the scenic Redwood National Forest and the rugged Northern California coastline about 20 miles south of the Oregon border.

 

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