Currently the Yocha DeHe Wintun Tribe is asking the Bureau of Indian Affairs to convert 800-plus acres of fee land into trust status. Trust status confers a status upon the Tribe that severely impacts the neighbors, the public, and the County.
Several problems with trust status are: 1. The Tribe has no legal accountability if problems occur. Neither the adjacent property owners or the public have any right of redress. 2. The stated use of the property can be changed to any use the Tribe wishes i.e. Walmart, etc. 3. The land is forever removed from the tax rolls and County jurisdiction.
Trust status is a one way street much like gambling at a casino. One group wins and the community loses. A zero sum game.
The present proposal would be the third large-scale project that this developer has undertaken in the Capay Valley. This developer has a casino, a golf course, and now a proposed housing development which can be changed to some other use at any time.
Yolo County (Board of Supervisors) and the Tribe are in negotiations over the trust acquisition part of which is Highway 16 frontage. The County has an obligation to advocate in the interest of the residents of the County. There are no benefits to the general population of Yolo County to confer additional trust status on county land that we can perceive beyond short term gains for special interests.
A first requirement should be a full Environmental Impact Statement that would reveal some of the environmental problems. Without the EIS, the negotiations will be behind closed doors and without public awareness or input. If the County perceives some benefits, these must be convincingly laid out for the public to review.
It is very important that everyone have a level playing field. Once a group is singled out for special development rights, the community will feel the effects and there will most likely be unintended consequences.
TOM FREDERICK, Brooks