Coming to Terms
Hemet's conditions for the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians include the tribe paying:
Up to $3.7 million to widen Domenigoni Parkway from four to six lanes.
Up to $2.5 million to widen Sanderson Bridge from two lanes to four lanes.
About $750,000 a year for three police officers and half the cost of operating a new fire station.

Other conditions: The city wants the tribe to support Hemet's annexation plans in the southwest region, prepare an environmental-impact report if a casino is planned, contribute money to the city's tourism program, give hiring priority to Hemet-area residents, and not build a sexually oriented business at the site.

HEMET - A major obstacle blocking an Inland tribe's plan to build a casino west of Hemet was cleared Tuesday.

The Hemet City Council approved a proposal to enter into a compact with the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians that could allow the opening of a new casino on 128 acres near Diamond Valley Lake, about 12 miles from the tribe's reservation.
The council's 4-1 vote came despite a last-minute request by the tribe to further delay action in light of new developments: Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone and officials in the cities of Temecula and Canyon Lake have all indicated a desire to weigh in on the issue. Mayor Roger Meadows voted no.

The tribe hopes to relocate its major gaming operation from reservation land near San Jacinto to the highly visible area at the corner of Domenigoni Parkway and State Highway 79. The tribe has preliminary plans to build a casino, a 400-room hotel, restaurants and entertainment venues at the site, to which the tribe says it has an ancestral claim.

The agreement sets conditions that would address the effects on Hemet of the land's development in exchange for the city's endorsement of an act of Congress the tribe needs to acquire the land. The agreement must be approved by tribal membership before it can become final.

The property is part of a proposed settlement reached in 2003 to resolve a federal lawsuit filed by the tribe and involving local water districts.

Reps. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, and Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs, have both said they will not introduce the necessary legislation until all involved parties, including Hemet, San Jacinto, Riverside County, and the unincorporated area of Winchester, come to terms with the tribe.

 
Riverside County and Winchester already have acted to support the lawsuit's settlement, while San Jacinto has yet to sign off on it.
Settlement of the lawsuit also is expected to lead to investments by the federal government to improve water import and recharge facilities that would benefit the San Jacinto Valley.

"I've had a huge struggle with this decision," said Councilwoman Lori VanArsdale, who said her motivation for supporting the agreement was to settle the lawsuit and help assure the city's water supply.

The Hemet council was to have taken action on the matter three weeks ago, but Stone asked for a delay because he wanted to see if the county board would support other mitigation measures. Stone could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Since the previous Hemet council meeting, officials in Temecula and Canyon Lake have said their cities need to be part of the discussion because they, too, would be affected.

Temecula officials have said motorists from Interstate 15 could pass through Temecula on their way north to State Highway 79, while Canyon Lake City Manager Bernard Strojny said nearby Railroad Canyon Road off of I-15 could become the preferred road for motorists heading to a new casino.
"The landscape has changed pretty dramatically," Karl Johnson, the tribe's attorney, said by phone Tuesday. Still, he said, "we appreciate the Hemet City Council's decision and will add that into the equation."

He said the tribe had wanted to delay action on the matter in order to get direction from the congressional representatives' offices about what to do with the concerns raised by Stone and the other cities.

"The intent of the efforts was for the tribe to work out the details with the local governments that would be affected," Lewis spokesman Jim Specht said. "(Lewis) never intended it to only cover a certain number of local governments."
Reach Herbert Atienza at (951) 763-3464 or hatienza@pe.com