North County Times

By EDWARD SIFUENTES

A North County tribe’s plans to build a casino near Barstow took another step forward Friday when the U.S. Department of Interior released a draft environmental impact report for public comment.

The Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians first proposed the casino nearly 10 years ago. The tribe’s reservation near Warner Springs is too remote for a casino, tribal leaders say. They plan to build a casino on Interstate 15 near Barstow to capture some of the travelers headed to Las Vegas.

A stumbling block for the project has been getting land for the casino. The federal government must agree to take the land into trust for the tribe.

“We just completed the most extensive portion of the process necessary to take land into trust,” Los Coyotes spokesman Shane Chapparosa said in a written statement. “This marks a huge step forward for the tribe and for Barstow.”

The tribe’s representatives could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

The 328-member tribe is one of the poorest in the county. Much of the reservation was without power until less than 10 years ago and its 40-square-mile community sits on largely rocky and mountainous terrain.

Due to a lack of employment opportunities, less than 20 percent of the tribal members live on the reservation, according to the tribe.

In January 2008, the federal government denied the tribe’s application to take a 20-acre plot of land near Barstow into trust to build the casino. The Department of Interior said at the time that the plot was too far from the tribe’s home reservation and that it would require many tribal members to move off the reservation to work at the casino.

The land is owned by the tribe’s casino partner, BarWest Gaming Inc.

A few months later, the tribe filed a new petition, which the federal government is now considering.

The proposed $160 million casino would include about 57,000 square feet of gaming space and 1,325 slot machines, according to the tribe. It would have a 100-room hotel, conference space and other amenities.

The project would create over 1,000 construction jobs and about 820 permanent jobs at the casino, according to the tribe.

The City of Barstow has endorsed the project and stands to receive 4.3 percent of the casino’s revenue under an agreement signed with the tribe.

“The City of Barstow is very encouraged by this long-awaited step forward,” said Barstow councilman Tim Silva in a written statement. “This project is critical to revitalizing our local economy. It will provide jobs and a real economic boost to our community.”

To get approval from the federal government, Los Coyotes must prove that the off-reservation project is in the best interest of the tribe and the surrounding community.

Los Coyotes must also secure a gambling agreement with the state. In 2007, the tribe struck a deal with then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger but the Legislature asked the tribe to put the land into trust first.

“We look forward to working together toward a new gaming compact with Gov. Jerry Brown for the Legislature’s consideration,” Chapparosa said.

Comments on the project can be mailed to Amy Dutschke, regional director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825. A public hearing on the draft environmental report will be held on July 27, 6 p.m., at Barstow Community College, 2700 Barstow Road in Barstow.