U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein cited a lack of public support as the reason the federal Department of the Interior should take another look at Enterprise Rancheria, according to information her office shared Monday.
Feinstein, who inserted the request for a new review into a federal spending bill Friday, felt polling by a group opposed to the casino showed the department's initial analysis of the project was flawed, according to a statement her office issued.
"A recent poll show 72 percent of Californians oppose off-reservation gaming," Feinstein said in the statement. "The same poll shows 67 percent of Medera (sic) County voters oppose a new casino in their community; in Yuba County, opposition stands at 63 percent."
The polling, which was released earlier this month, drew immediate condemnation from casino proponents, who said the questions asked didn't mention economic benefits for the region if the casino was approved and built.
Those proponents released polling of their own from October — in which the potential benefits were highlighted — showing significant support for the casino, which would be built by the Estom Yumeka Maidu tribe based in Oroville on a parcel near SleepTrain Amphitheatre. Feinstein's request, which called for a 60-day review of the project and subsequent report to Congress, also cited a lack of support among local elected officials.
The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs' Sept. 1 decision moving the casino forward showed a positive response from only one local elected body: the Yuba County Board of Supervisors, which has an existing memorandum of understanding with the sponsoring tribe to address the casino's potential impacts.
Though the city of Marysville has a separate existing MOU, the mayor is listed in the analysis as not having responded to a 2009 request for comment on the proposal. Marysville Mayor Bill Harris said Monday he didn't recall receiving such a request, but he'd have responded with strong support if he had.
Wheatland's city manager and the Sutter County Board of Supervisors are both listed as having responded with opposition. "There's an impact on county roads, but there's no identified mitigation," Sutter Supervisor James Gallagher said Monday. He also said he's concerned stores or restaurants based at the casino won't have to collect sales tax, creating unfair competition for business.
The area's current Representative in Congress, Wally Herger, R-Chico, is still generally opposed to the nature of gambling, and still believes local control should rule the day on such projects.
Herger will also help arrange for local governments to provide feedback about the project during a new 60-day review period for the casino by the federal Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs, his office said. A casino supporter, U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, would represent the region under redistricting if he's re-elected next year. He also did not return a call for comment Monday.