A big name in state politics has come out against the proposed Indian casino in Yuba County, but it's unclear whether that will sway a pending decision by Gov. Jerry Brown on whether it can move forward.
There's no word from Brown's office, or Enterprise Rancheria, the tribe hoping to build the casino near Sleep Train Amphitheatre, on the ramifications of the letter sent Sept. 30 by Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Feinstein, who's opposed Indian casinos in the Bay Area where she lives and elsewhere in the state, cited local opposition as a reason for Brown to say no.
"The Department of Interior's conclusion that the proposed casinos enjoy 'strong community support' is simply false," she wrote in the letter. "Of the 21 local officials polled by the Department of the Interior on the Yuba Casino, only one (Yuba County) supported the project ..."
Feinstein also noted a 2005 advisory vote in Yuba County in which 52 percent opposed the casino, and the 2000 statewide proposition giving the OK to Indian casinos referred to them being on Indian lands.
The Yuba County casino and another one she opposes in Madera County are being built outside those lands, she wrote. Enterprise Rancheria, based in Oroville, has said Yuba County was part of its ancestral tribal area.
With 67 new casinos since 2000, Feinstein also said in the letter, California is significantly saturated.
Among those Feinstein listed as locals opposed to the casino is Supervisor Roger Abe, who said he hopes the letter carries weight with Brown.
"I'm not sure what's going to have the biggest influence on Gov. Brown," he said, adding that 60 percent of voters in his district, which includes Wheatland and the casino site, opposed it in the 2005 vote.
Others listed as opposing the casino are former supervisor and now-Assemblyman Dan Logue and Supervisor Andy Vasquez.
Supervisor John Nicoletti said he fully understands Feinstein's position, but also believes policymakers have to acknowledge gambling isn't going anywhere.
"No one can prevent a Yuba County resident from going to Colusa or Las Vegas," he said.
Because the county has a memorandum of understanding with the tribe, Nicoletti said, he feels it's pointless to oppose it.
"I believe unless the MOU is dissolved, there's an agreement made," he said.
Neither tribal representatives nor Brown's office responded to requests for comment.
After the federal government OK'd the casino in early September, Brown has one year to issue his opinion.
Approval from both state and federal government is required for the casino to proceed.
CONTACT reporter Ben van der Meer at 749-4786.