Indian Casino Proposal Prompts Subcommittee

RICHMOND, CA-Although a formal proposal has yet to be presented to the city, opponents of a suggested Indian gaming casino and hotel on Richmond’s waterfront have started campaigning against the project.

Recently, the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, local developer John Troughton and Las Vegas-based investment group Kline Cos. pitched ideas for a hotel-casino at city port Terminal 3, which is currently an active port. The tribe has offered $10 million for the land, as well as impact fees of $3 million to $5 million a year for the first 16 years.

While the details of the project have not yet been worked out, the city is considering the pitch for shipping port Terminal 3. The proposal has not been placed on a city council agenda for formal review yet, but Richmond Mayor Irma Anderson has appointed a subcommittee to study the proposal.

At last week’s City Council meeting, Citizens Against Casino Expansion led a group of residents in a plea to the city to reject the bid for an urban casino, citing that the bid violates the intent of 2000 law that gave Indian tribes the right to launch gaming enterprises on reservations. This law gave tribes without land the right to acquire urban lands under certain conditions to develop casinos. However, opponents say that Indian casinos do not benefit Indians—only investors. Therefore, it would be a violation, they say. The developers say they have presented a completely legal pitch for the project.

The city council told the opponents that a full report would be conducted on the proposal before any decisions were made.