A banner in favor of Proposition 48. Image from Yes on 48
The Wiyot Tribe doesn't operate a casino but has a major stake in a gaming referendum that's on the California ballot. The tribe is campaigning for Yes on Proposition 48. If the referendum is approved, the tribe will get a share of revenues from an off-reservation casino operated by the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians. "We are letting people know to have a yes vote on 48," Cheryl A. Seidner, a Wiyot council member, told The Eureka Times Standard. "Most of our Wiyot tribal citizens live in Humboldt County — we are hoping this will help us and will help the county." Rival tribes, however, are funding the campaign against the North Fork casino. One tribe in particular -- the Table Mountain Rancheria -- has spent more than $8 million to defeat Proposition 48. A description of Proposition 48, from the California Secretary of State, follows:
Proposition 48 - Referendum to Overturn Indian Gaming CompactsGet the Story:
If signed by the required number of registered voters and timely filed with the Secretary of State, this petition will place on the statewide ballot a challenge to a state law previously approved by the Legislature and the Governor. The law must then be approved by a majority of voters at the next statewide election to go into effect. The law ratifies two gaming compacts (with the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians, and the Wiyot Tribe); and it exempts execution of the compacts, certain projects, and intergovernmental agreements from the California Environmental Quality Act. (13-0007)
Wiyot Tribe has stake in casino plan before voters (The Eureka Times Standard 10/10) An Opinion:
Doug Porter: Prop 48: Are Casinos Coming to Your Neighborhood? (The San Diego Free Press 10/10) California Court of Appeal Decision:
Picayune Rancheria v. Brown (September 24, 2014) Bureau of Indian Affairs Documents:
Press Release | Fact Sheet: North Fork Rancheria Decision | Section 20 Determination: North Fork Rancheria
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