A proposed Indian casino on Highway 99 north of Madera will face yet another round of federal scrutiny under a massive spending bill approved today.
Lawmakers cited "lack of local support" as a reason for ordering the Interior Department to review again the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians casino plan as well as a casino proposal on the books in Yuba County. The department already gave the casinos a key go-ahead on Sept. 1.
Both proposals call for off-reservation casinos.
House and Senate negotiators said only two of the 33 elected officials or bodies that were consulted for the projects expressed support for them.
And a poll released this month by the casino watchdog group Stand Up for California said that 67% of Madera County voters oppose the North Fork plan. In Yuba County, the Enterprise Casino faces 63% opposition, the group said.
"Those numbers contradict Interior Department decisions to move forward with new casinos in both counties, especially since those decisions were based on 'strong local support,' " said Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who inserted the study language.
Perhaps further clouding the North Fork Rancheria case, federal agents raided its offices this month, although there was no indication Friday that the investigation was tied to the spending-bill decision.
Feinstein's measure gave Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and his Indian affairs staff two months to "verify the claims" made by casino supporters that the projects are supported by local residents.
Though the new review appears unlikely to produce different results, it may offer some tactical public-relations advantages to casino opponents. The casino proposal process had reached Gov. Jerry Brown's desk for support or opposition.
Assistant Interior Secretary Larry Echo Hawk concluded in September that both projects would be in the "best interest" of the respective tribes and "would not be detrimental" to the surrounding communities.
The two rancherias, North Fork and the Enterprise Rancheria of Maidu Indians in Yuba County, share a community relations director, Charles Banks-Altekruse. Friday, he cited votes for the respective projects from the boards of supervisors for both Madera and Yuba counties.
Both projects have been in the works for years, and both have excited controversy as well as enthusiasm.
The North Fork Rancheria currently has about 1,750 citizens and owns 80 acres in the mountain community of North Fork, about 38 miles from its proposed casino site. On 305 acres just north of Madera the tribe wants to build a 200-room hotel along with a casino slated to hold some 2,500 slot machines.
"All the major business chambers of Madera County (have) ... submitted letters endorsing the project," Banks-Altekruse said.
On Dec. 6, federal agents spent most of the day serving a search warrant at the North Fork Rancheria's headquarters. Neither the FBI nor the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General have publicly explained the purpose of the search.
The Enterprise Rancheria is located about 36 miles from its proposed 40-acre casino site. The tribe currently has about 800 members; they want to build a 170-room hotel along with the casino.
Feinstein, who generally opposes off-reservation Indian gaming, inserted the order for a new review in a $915 billion package that will keep the federal government operating for the rest of the fiscal year. The casino provision was not debated Friday as the House rushed to approve the spending bill by a 296-121 margin.

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