Artist's rendering of the Wilton Rancheria's resort project in Elk Grove, Caifornia. Image: Wilton Rancheria

California | Casino Stalker | Land Acquisitions | Litigation

Wilton Rancheria scores another win in long-running fight over homelands

Friday, January 25, 2019

Opponents of the Wilton Rancheria are on the losing end of yet another ruling in federal court.

In a January 16 order, Judge Trevor McFadden rebuffed efforts to seek more documents from the federal government. The decision puts the tribe another step closer to opening a casino on its homelands in central California.

And even though McFadden had put the case on hold during the government shutdown, he indicated that he is ready to resolve it once and for all. In the order, he asked the parties to prepare for motions that would result in a final decision on the tribe's homelands.

The parties "shall file a status report with a proposed summary judgment briefing schedule no later than 20 days after Congress has restored appropriations to the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior," the order stated.

A deal announced in Washington, D.C., on Friday paves the way for the shutdown to end and for funding to be restored to those federal agencies that have gone without appropriations for more than a month.

Wilton Rancheria
Get to know the members and the history of Wilton Rancheria.
Posted by Wilton Rancheria on Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Wilton Rancheria on Facebook: 'Get to know the members and the history of Wilton Rancheria'

The tribe took the decision as another victory against a group called Stand Up for California and other opponents of the proposed casino. The lawsuit was filed two years ago this month.

"This is Stand Up's latest desperate attempt to delay or derail a project that will create thousands of jobs, tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the city and give our members a path to self-sufficiency," Chairman Raymond C. Hitchcock said in a press release. "Our tribe was landless for nearly six decades and, finally, we have the opportunity to create a brighter future for our children, grandchildren and generations to come."

The tribe has been without land ever since the termination era of the 1950s. It government-to-government relationship with the United States was also in limbo until the Bureau of Indian Affairs restored the tribe's federal recognition in 2009.

The situation further improved when the Bureau of Indian Affairs, on the last full day of the Obama administration in January 2017, issued a record of decision in favor of the tribe's land-into-trust application. The 36-acre site is located in the city of Elk Grove.

The land, located along a major highway, will be used for a casino. The would make it the closest Indian gaming facility to Sacramento, the state capital, which is about 20 miles away.

The tribe anticipates breaking ground. The $500 million development could be open by the end of 2020.