Thunder Valley Casino lauded by officials at hotel event
By Ed Fletcher
As Thunder Valley Casino celebrated the completion of its new 300-room hotel, spa, pool and amphitheater at a ribbon-cutting event Monday, area leaders went "all in" voicing their support.
"They are good neighbors. They need to be thanked," Rocklin Mayor Scott Yuill told the more than 300 dignitaries and guests on hand.
"We are lucky that they are there," Roseville Councilwoman Carol Garcia told The Bee after a tour of the hotel.
The love-fest atmosphere Monday belied the acrimony that existed before the casino and regional communities worked out a groundbreaking agreement in the years leading up to the casino's 2003 opening.
Opposition was fierce in some Placer County communities. Placer County Supervisor Robert Weygandt said there was about a nine-month period where neither side spoke after the tribe stormed out of a Penryn town hall meeting.
The cities of Rocklin and Roseville were the last communities in the region to give up the fight against the casino, even going to federal court in an attempt to block the casino's construction.
In the face of the persistent opposition, the United Auburn Indian Community reached agreements to offset the casino's effect on the surrounding communities. That groundbreaking agreement – jeered by other tribes at the time – is now the template for all new casinos and has resulted in the tribe paying millions to area governments, officials said.
"Basically they agreed to the California Environmental Quality Act. They agreed to county ordinances. That was unheard of," said Cheryl Schmit, director of Stand up for California, an anti-gambling group that became a partner in the face of what she called the tribe's federally mandated "inevitable" right to build a casino in Placer County.
Weygandt said he opposed the casino early on, but then decided to focus on ensuring that the facility offset its negative impacts.
"Time heals all wounds," said Doug Elmets, a spokesman for the casino.
The parade of speakers Monday – almost as if using the same talking points – spoke about the casino's economic impact, and contributions to local governments and to area charities.
"They have done a lot in our community in giving back to the nonprofits in the region," Garcia said. That support includes in-kind and financial support of Placer Breast Cancer Endowment, a charity Garcia chairs.
On top of the $2.8 million annual contribution to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for firefighting and emergency response, this year the tribe kicked in another $1.1 million for a new ladder truck and supplies for a new fire station.
The tribe has agreed to pay $1 million toward a Sheriff's Department helicopter, in addition to the $1.2 million annual payment to the department.
The tribe also played a key role in the acceleration of the planned Sunset Boulevard overpass and made a $150,000 annual transportation contribution.
Weygandt said United Auburn is paying more than its fair share for police, fire and transportation needs.
All of this is in excess of the nearly $42 million the tribe pays to the state and $2 million shared with tribes without casino revenue.
General Manager C.J. Graham scoffed at complaints that they don't pay some taxes paid by California businesses. He noted the 2,300 jobs created by the casino (700 hired to work the hotel) and the casino's practice of using local contractors.
"We may not pay any direct taxes, but we do put about $50 million a year into the local economy," Graham.
The hotel opens for general business on Thursday.
