By Unknown
We respect the sovereignty of American Indian lands. But we also believe tribes should respect the wishes and policies of local residents.
One such conflict is playing out in Joshua Tree, where the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians is considering a small casino, about half the size of a grocery store, on land that it owns but is not part of the reservation.
About 1,400 out of Joshua Tree's 7,400 residents have signed petitions opposing the plan. Many believe a casino would alter the rural character of the community.
Off-reservation casinos are permitted if they are approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the California governor's office. Two such casinos -- one in Butte County and another in Madera County -- have received federal approval and await OKs from Gov. Jerry Brown.
The Twenty-Nine Palms tribe operates the Spotlight 29 Casino, which opened in Coachella in 1995. It has been looking to expand its gambling business for years.
In 2008, it announced plans for a $25 million casino on 160 acres of reservation land in Twentynine Palms near the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. The proposed Nüwü Casino Resort and RV Park was widely criticized because it would have been only a mile away from the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.
The much smaller casino is proposed 15 miles west in Joshua Tree on 90 acres on the north side of Highway 62, across from the Hi-Desert Medical Center, said Victoria Fuller, president of the Joshua Tree Community Association. The tribe has not ruled out adding a hotel, golf course or an RV park.
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, telling him she has received hundreds of complaints about the potential impact the casino could have on regional tourism, crime, poverty, alcoholism and gambling addiction.
"This is not the appropriate place to develop a casino and I ask that you reject any forthcoming two-part determination for this site," Feinstein wrote.
The seven Indian casinos in the Coachella Valley are a welcome part of our community. They are an important element of our tourism industry and serve as valuable meeting places and fun venues for proms. They can be a boost for the local economy.
But the Twenty-Nine Palms Band needs to win the support of the Joshua Tree community before moving forward