Koi Nation releases statement in response to Governor Newsom
The Governor had asked the US DOI not to proceed with two casino projects, including the Tribe’s plans involving Shiloh Resort and Casino in California.
In a statement sent to Gaming America, the Koi Nation of Northern California has responded to California Governor Gavin Newsom regarding its Shiloh Casino and Resort project.
Governor Newsom had written a letter requesting that the US Department of Interior (DOI) not proceed with two casino projects in the state, including the Tribe’s proposed plans in Sonoma County and the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians’ project in Solano County.
Newsom’s letter expressed concern that “these specific projects are proceeding in a manner that would sidestep the state, ignore the concerns of tribal governments and other local communities and stretch the ‘restored lands’ exception beyond its legal limits while failing to adequately consider whether there might be a better way.”
In the Koi Nation statement, attributable to Vice Chair and Director of Development Dino Beltran, the Tribe defended its project, having said, “The Koi Nation of Northern California has pursued regulatory approvals for its Shiloh Resort & Casino project in full accordance with federal law.
“Despite our nation’s best efforts to educate stakeholders about our eligibility to seek gaming-eligible trust land under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’s (IGRA) ‘restored lands’ exception, it is evident that the Governor’s opposition reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of federal law.
“Project approvals from the US DOI’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) would not represent a departure from precedent. To the contrary, IGRA’s restored lands exception was designed precisely to correct historic wrongs that rendered landless tribes like the Koi, depriving them of opportunities to develop and achieve economic self-sufficiency.
“Our right to pursue gaming according to this provision of federal law was affirmed by Judge Beryl A. Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia in Koi Nation v Zinke (2019).
“While we would have welcomed an opportunity to brief Governor Newsom in advance of the submission of the letter, we remain committed to continual communication with him, his administration and all key stakeholders. This has been our approach from the start and will continue to be so through the conclusion of this legal process and into the future.”
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