Editorial: Local oversight needed for California's tribal casinos

Last week, the California Senate approved a gaming compact that will enable the North Fork Rancheria Band of Mono Indians to build a casino near Madera, about 35 miles from the tribe's ancestral lands in the Sierra foothills.

It marks the first time in California that a tribe has obtained all the necessary state and federal approvals for a casino on non-tribal property.

If California is going to open up most of the state to Indian gaming operations, it should be negotiating with the tribes to create local controls to prevent environmental or zoning problems. And if more casinos are to be built off the reservation, shouldn't the tribes be required to waive sovereignty and agree to settle disagreements in court?