Chumash Tribe continues to face opposition to casino expansion


Artist's rendering of a new hotel tower at the Chumash Casino Resort. Image from Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians

Opponents of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians are still trying to stop the tribe from finishing a $170 million casino expansion project.

In July, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that questioned the status of the tribe's reservation. But Save the Valley, the group behind the case, is hoping to revive the matter, Bloomberg reports.

The tribe is adding a 12-story hotel tower with 215 rooms to the Chumash Casino Resort. There will also be 75,000 additional square-feet of gaming space, a 20,000 square-foot pool deck, new food and beverage venues and a parking garage with 584 spaces.

The tribe signed a new Class III gaming compact with the state to address environmental impacts of the casino but opponents hope their case prevents the tribe from using additional water for the facility, Bloomberg reports.

Get the Story:
Landowners Try to Choke Off Casino's Water With 19th-Century Lawsuit (Bloomberg 12/14)
County-Chumash Meeting a Total Bust (The Santa Barbara Independent 12/13)

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