Last Stand at Shingle Springs

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Can El Dorado Avoid Becoming the 27th of California's 58 Counties with a Casino by Blocking Plans of the Miwok Tribe to Bring Gaming to Shingle Springs?

By Dana Magliari

Up and down California, gambling foes have watched in either resignation or frustration as Indian casinos change the look and feel of their rural communities in 26 of the state’s 58 counties that have the gaming facilities (seven counties have proposals for Indian casinos but none in existence). But in the foothills of El Dorado County, whose boundaries include South Lake Tahoe to the Nevada line and up most of the lake's western shore, opponents believe they’ve found a way to stop an Indian casino from coming to Shingle Springs.  Taking a cue from old western movies, they’re heading the Indians off at the pass.  So far, their efforts are working. The Shingle Springs Miwoks want to build a freeway interchange that would connect Highway 50 to their 160-acre rancheria lying just north of the freeway, about nine miles west of Placerville.  With this accomplished, they could move ahead with their ultimate plan: building Foothill Oaks Casino, a gaming facility, restaurant and hotel that would eventually encompass 380,000 square feet.  

The tribe seems to have most everything it needs — federal recognition, trust land, financial backing and a gaming compact with the state.  But its opponents keep finding a way to block construction of the short ribbon of concrete that would tap them into the lucrative California gaming market.

Challenge Mostly Rejected
The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors is pursuing two lawsuits, one state and one federal, charging the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) with submitting an inadequate environmental impact report for the interchange project. 

A ruling in the state lawsuit came last December, rejecting most of the county’s challenge, but telling Caltrans to reassess its air quality findings. It was one of those classic split decisions where both parties claim victory. “The decision went 98 percent in favor of Caltrans and the tribe,” the tribe’s lawyer informed the Tahoe Daily Tribune. 

A county supervisor elatedly told the same paper, “El Dorado County won,” echoing the belief shared by many of the casino’s opponents that Caltrans will be unable to meet the air quality requirement.  A final decision on the resubmitted report was expected by the end of June.

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