Final Yuba casino decision coming soon

Like a poker player waiting for the last card to be dealt, backers for the proposed Enterprise Rancheria Indian casino are waiting to see what the last word is from the federal and state government.

After nearly a decade of waiting, a final decision on whether the project in Yuba County can move ahead is now only months, and possibly weeks, from coming forth.

"We believe the governor has a lot on his plate right now, and has a lot of Indian tribal issues on his plate," said Charles Altekruse, a spokesman for the casino's backing tribe, the Estom Yumeka Maidu.

But the tribe still believes the casino will ultimately be approved, he said.

However, there are also those hedging their bets against the casino, with tribes in Colusa and Butte counties sending Gov. Jerry Brown letters within the last week stating Enterprise Rancheria would not only hurt their own casinos, but set a bad precedent for state tribal casino policy.

"It's not fair competition," said Mooretown Rancheria tribal chairman Gary Archuleta, whose tribe operates the Feather Falls Casino outside Oroville, where Estom Yumeka Maidu also have offices. "It's between Highway 65 and 70 down there, and it chokes off anything coming from Sacramento."

The letter to the governor's office comes as Brown must decide by Sept. 1 whether to give the Estom Yumeka Maidu the go-ahead to take land near Sleep Train Amphitheatre into trust for the casino and a hotel.

A spokesman for the governor's office said by email on Wednesday he had no update on the consideration process.

The letters from the tribes mention job losses if Enterprise Rancheria opens, with Mooretown Rancheria estimating it would lose about 20 jobs and reduce pay for other employees by 20 percent to 40 percent.

Cachill Dehe Band of Wintun Indians, which operates Colusa Casino, estimates they'd lose 40 percent to 60 percent of their business if Enterprise Rancheria opens.

Both letters also point out the casinos losing business would have a ripple effect on the economy in surrounding areas, and Butte County supervisors Bill Connelly and Steve Lambert have written letters to the federal government with similar concerns.

While Brown considers the casino at the state level, the U.S. Department of the Interior is taking a second look at the casino's local support at the request of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The second review, after initial approval last summer, was supposed to take 60 days, a timeline exceeded this week.

Archuleta said the federal government's original review and environmental impact statement didn't take into account the effect on local tribes.

"They're doing what we call 'rez shopping,'" he said, referring the concept of a tribe trying to establish a reservation outside of where its lands typically are located, though Enterprise Rancheria's proponents said their original lands include Yuba County.

If Brown approves Enterprise Rancheria, it'll encourage other tribes to find similar locations outside their aboriginal lands, but perhaps in better areas for business, casino opponents have said.

But Altekruse said given how long it's taken Enterprise Rancheria, and how only five tribes previously have received two-step approvals in the last 25 years, facts don't match the fears the other tribes are stoking.

"We've always said the main opposition to our project comes from tribes who are concerned about competition," he said.

CONTACT Ben van der Meer at bvandermeer@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4786. Find him on Facebook at /ADbvandermeer or on Twitter at @ADbvandermeer.