By Wayne Wilson, Sacramento Bee
Advised by counsel that Indian gaming is an inevitability in Placer County, the Board of Supervisors affirmed its support Tuesday of an agreement that could put a casino near Lincoln.
The memorandum of understanding, originally approved in August, had to be altered when the Lincoln City Council rejected a provision of the pact calling for Lincoln to provide water and sewer hook-ups to the 58-acre site.
The revised agreement opens the door for the United Auburn Indian Community to seek alternative sources of sewer and water services, including drilling of wells, an option not open to non-Indian developers in the Sunset Industrial Area.
The proposed site is at Athens and Industrial avenues in an unincorporated area of the county adjacent to the cities of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln.
Highway 65 provides the access to the site, which is not within two miles of any residential neighborhoods. Gambling opponents, claiming a casino would be a blight on the area, tried to dissuade the supervisors from approving the memorandum of understanding.
But supporters urged the board to stand by its earlier commitment and pointed out that the law is on the Indian's side.
County Counsel Anthony J. La Bouff said the Auburn tribe is a "restored tribe" under federal law and has "an unequivocal right to obtain land in this county."
And there is no question that, as an American Indian tribe, it can establish a gaming casino on that land, he said.
So the question before the board Tuesday was: Will the county work with the tribe to mitigate whatever effect the casino will have or will it leave the tribe to fend for itself?
By entering into the agreement, the county will benefit to the tune of more than $1 million a year in reimbursed law enforcement, fire and traffic expenses. And the tribe has agreed to donate $50,000 a year to help prevent and treat problem gambling.
In exchange, the board will submit a letter to the U.S. department of the Interior supporting the tribe's request to have the land placed in trust.
All five supervisors expressed a basic opposition to gambling, but only Bill Santucci voted against the amended agreement.
"I've always voted my conscience," Santucci declared. "I'm with the people out here in opposition to this location."
Santucci said a "yes" vote endorses a casino.
But Supervisor James T. Williams said a vote to abandon the agreement would "put our faith in the state and federal governments. Will we be better off in their hands? I don't think so."
Supervisor Harriet White noted that a casino could be approved without the memorandum of understanding, "and then where would we be? We're not voting for gambling, we are trying to mitigate a very serious problem."
Robert Weygandt quoted Abraham Lincoln: "When you can't do the best, you do the best possible," adding, "We have to deal with reality. This tribe will get a casino sited regardless of what we do."
Rex Bloomfield said the board had been "unable to find the magic pill that would stop this casino."
"The message was clear," he said. "We're going to get a casino."
Copyright © 1999, Sacramento Bee
