By Jessica Tavares, The Press-Tribune
Truth in journalism. In the case of the United Auburn Indian Community, it's a rarity these days when a newspaper publishes commentary that adheres to this rule.
The most recent display of misinformation printed on my Tribe's proposed casino in the Sunset Industrial District, in an industrially zoned area off Highway 65 in the unincorporated area of Placer County, is criticism over our Environmental Assessment (EA). The Tribe prepared the EA to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and a local anti-Indian gaming group complained that the EA failed to adequately address impacts on law enforcement.
First, let me begin by stating that the EA is an environmental report rather than a document intended to address social issues, including crime or the economy. The EA accounts for all physical environmental impacts that a proposed development could cause and outlines mitigation measures for each, as required by NEPA.
While the EA is not meant to address any impacts other than those on the physical environment, the report does include material from a study, commissioned by the Tribe, examining the socioeconomic impacts of the proposed casino. The study served as the basis for mitigations outlined in the comprehensive agreement entered into by the Tribe and the Placer County Board of Supervisors.
In negotiating the agreement with the County, the Tribe consulted Sheriff Ed Bonner, who had researched law enforcement needs at Indian gaming facilities by speaking to sheriffs from around the state. We felt that the Placer County Sheriff was best equipped to decide what law enforcement mitigations were necessary, and we agreed to each of his recommendations.
As a result, the tribe will spend $458,000 each year to hire and maintain five new full-time deputies and a new patrol car. The Tribe additionally will hire our own 24-hour security force with 70 security personnel and over a dozen surveillance personnel. In August 1999, Sheriff Bonner testified to the Board of Supervisors that as a result of this financial support, law enforcement presence in the surrounding community will be significantly increased.
Placer County is receiving more law enforcement mitigations from the Tribe than any other developer is in the region. The new Roseville Galleria shopping mall, for instance, is five times as large and is certain to cause more crime than the proposed casino, yet Placer County has no specific agreement on law enforcement mitigation with the developer. If critics are going to hold responsible one development for any increases in crime or other social costs, then they must do the same for all developments.
The United Auburn Indian Community is committed to mitigating potential impacts caused by our proposed entertainment and gaming facility. In turn, we ask that individuals, groups, and the media take it upon themselves to disseminate only the truth. It's their credibility, not ours, that slips with every false accusation.
Jessica Tavares is chairperson for the United Auburn Indian Community.
Copyright © 2000, The Press-Tribune
