Sheriff wants Soboba band's gaming license pulled7/29/2008, The Desert Sun
Riverside County Sheriff Stanley Sniff, citing the Soboba band's "propensity to violence" and apparent reluctance to allow deputies on tribal land, said Tuesday that the tribe should have its gaming license pulled. Sniff told the county Board of Supervisors that he sent a letter Monday to the National Indian Gaming Commission, requesting that it suspend the gaming license for the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians.

Riverside County sheriff asks U.S. to shut Soboba Casino
7/29/2008, The Press-Enterprise
Riverside County Sheriff Stanley Sniff has asked the federal government to shut down Soboba Casino on the San Jacinto-area reservation where three tribal members were fatally shot by deputies earlier this year. Sniff said Tuesday that tribal leaders have instructed reservation security guards to block deputies serving search warrants or conducting other nonemergency business on the reservation. The tribe has a guard shack and gate at the entrance to the reservation's residential area. The guards required deputies to wait for tribal approval to enter the reservation in one instance a few weeks ago, the Sheriff's Department said. 
 

California tribe fears a return of Keno7/30/2008, Sacramento Bee
Indian gambling interests are concerned that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to bring back Keno, a popular bingo-like game banned 12 years ago for violating state gambling law. According to a draft of the governor's lottery plan obtained by The Bee, Schwarzenegger would propose a state constitutional amendment that tribes say could override a California Supreme Court decision that outlawed the game. "This attempts to walk right to the edge by trying to preserve the tribe's revenue" while expanding the lottery, said attorney Howard Dickstein, who represents the United Auburn tribe near Sacramento. "It's a bold and dramatic departure from the status quo."  

 

Pauma band agrees to fund $38M in road improvements7/28/2008, San Diego Union Tribune
Charles Mathews, one of the local residents who spoke with Devers and other tribal leaders about his concerns with the initial plans for the resort, said he was satisfied with the changes Pauma made. "Obviously the neighbors would prefer that there would not be a casino, but the reality is that there will be a casino," he said. He said he was happy about the planned improvements to Route 76, the main artery through the Pauma Valley. "Some of that cash has a fuse on it, it has to be spent before 2011," he said. "Clearly the onus now moves to the county and to Caltrans to make sure that available money is spent, is well spent." The agreement drew praise from Cheryl Schmit, a gambling watchdog who works with community activists across the state and encouraged Pauma's neighbors to express their concerns to county and tribal leaders. "Wow!" she said. "This is a comprehensive agreement that should become the model for all tribes in San Diego County." Schmit particularly liked the fact that the agreement can be revisited in one and three years to ensure it's working.  

Habematolel Pomo casino plans get federal approval 7/28/2008, Lake County News
UPPER LAKE - The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake have received approval from the federal government to place land in trust, a decision tribal representatives say is a crucial step in moving forward with plans to build a $35 million casino. The US Department of the Interior's Office of the Secretary has issued a "finding of no significant impact" - or FONSI - on the tribe's proposal to place an 11.24-acre site on Highway 20 in trust, said the tribe's attorney, Robert Rosette.

Plans move forward for fourth casino in county7/28/2008, Lake County Record Bee UPPER LAKE -- Plans for a fourth casino in Lake County are a step closer to becoming reality after federal approval that allows the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake to establish 11 acres of vineyard land as Indian lands. The U.S. Department of Interior issued a finding of no significant environmental impact July 18, according to a Thursday press release. The approval was the last step in the Upper Lake tribe's decades-long effort to regain its federally recognized status and restore its land base.

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