Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the signing
of two related tribal-state gaming compacts with the North Fork Rancheria of
Mono Indians and the Wiyot Tribe. The compacts directly unite the interests of North Fork's 1,700 citizens and the Wiyot Tribe's 600 members,
benefiting one of the largest tribal populations in the history of such agreements.
"These compacts are a model for protecting the
environment and balancing the needs of the tribes and local communities.
The compacts avoid construction of a casino along California's coast and in the Sierra
foothills while respecting both tribes' sovereign right to pursue economic
development through gaming and other means," said Governor Schwarzenegger.
"These compacts help avoid impacts to two environmentally sensitive sites
by allowing the North Fork Mono Rancheria to operate a single facility within
its historic area at a location favored by Madera County and the majority of
local representatives and residents."
Under the compacts, the Wiyot Tribe would:
- Forego its right to game on its tribal lands along Humboldt Bay in Northern California in exchange for revenue payments from a gaming facility to be operated by the North Fork Mono Rancheria in Madera County. The compacts will provide an important economic stimulus to two of the most economically challenged regions in the U.S.
- Agree to distribute no more than 50% of net revenues produced from the Compact in any year to its tribal members and to reserve at least 50% of the net revenues to fund tribal government operations or programs, to provide for the general welfare of the Tribe and its members, to promote tribal economic development and to donate to charitable organizations.
The North Fork compact would:
- Authorize the North Fork Mono Rancheria to operate a gaming facility on a portion of a 305-acre parcel in an unincorporated area of Madera County just north of the City of Madera. The location avoids development of a gaming facility on the North Fork Rancheria that would significantly impact threatened wildlife and habitat in a remote Sierra foothills area adjacent to the Sierra National Forest and connected by unpaved roads to the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway south of Yosemite National Park.
- Authorize the Tribe to operate no more than 2,500 slot machines at a single facility on the 305 acre parcel. The Tribe has agreed not to engage in any gaming activities on its other Indian lands in the State during the term of the compact.
The Tribe identified the 305-acre parcel in consultation
with local officials as an appropriate site for the proposed development,
particularly from a land use, jobs creation and environmental
perspective. The North Fork Mono Rancheria has since entered into
separate Memoranda of Understanding with the County
of Madera, the City of Madera, and the Madera
Irrigation District to mitigate potential impacts associated with the project
and to establish charitable foundations for the community.
The Tribe estimates that the resort casino and hotel would
generate approximately 1,500 permanent jobs, 750 temporary construction jobs
and 2,000 ancillary jobs and $45-$50 million in annual purchases of goods and
services each year.
The Wiyot Tribe would receive revenues from a trust operated
by the state for its benefit and funded solely from a percentage of revenues
generated by the North Fork facility. In
exchange, the Wiyot Tribe has agreed to refrain from exercising its right to
construct a casino on tribal lands known as the Table Bluff Reservation in Humboldt County,
on a bluff bordered by the ecologically significant and sensitive Humboldt Bay and Eel River Estuary.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service manages the
Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge Salmon Creek Unit east of the Reservation
and the Eel River Estuary to the south. These protected areas exist
primarily to protect and enhance wetland habitats for hundreds of thousands of
migratory water fowl that rely on the Pacific Flyway. More than 200 bird
species, including four endangered species, regularly feed, rest or nest on the
refuge or other nearby areas around Humboldt Bay.
The North Fork Mono Rancheria will share revenues with the
state based on a sliding scale percentage of net win from the operation of both
slot machines and banked card games ranging from 13.5 percent to 22
percent. The facility is estimated to generate over $25 million annually
for the state general fund during each of the first seven years of operation.
In addition to its contributions to the state, the North
Fork Mono Rancheria will share a portion of its slot revenues with the trust
fund benefiting the Wiyot Tribe. The fund will receive 2.5% of the first
$100 million of net win, 3% of amounts between $100 and $200 million in net
win, and 3.5% of net win over $200 million. The benefit is projected to be
between $3 million and $5 million a year - nearly four times as much as the
Wiyot Tribe currently receives in gaming allotments under state law.
The North Fork compact limits the size of the resort casino
and hotel to a 280,000-square-foot footprint with 2,000 slot machines, with an
option to expand the facility and operate up to 500 additional slot machines
during the 20-year term of the compact if the Tribe's existing agreement with
the County of Madera is amended to cover any additional off-reservation impacts
to the environment. The North Fork
compact also requires the Tribe to enter into a mitigation agreement with
CalTrans for state road improvements.
In addition to providing for an annual independent audit,
the North Fork compact allows the state to
conduct its own annual audit. The North Fork
compact includes all of the same important safeguards for employees and patrons
as in recently announced compacts, and is the first to include comprehensive
provisions relating to employment discrimination and minimum internal control
standards (MICS).
At the tribes' request, the compacts won't be submitted for
ratification by the Legislature until the Secretary of the Interior approves
placing the Madera
County casino site into
trust. The Governor will be signing the compacts today to highlight the
strong public policy rationale and the significant financial and other state
interests behind his anticipated concurrence consistent with the Governor's
Proclamation on Tribal Gaming Policy dated May 18, 2005.
The compacts are available for viewing by clicking on the links
below:
North_Fork_Compact_2008_Appendix
North_Fork_Compact_2008
Wiyot_Compact_2008
