Assembly committee briefed on Big Sandy Rancheria gaming compact; no vote taken

The Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization held an informational hearing on the proposed tribal-state gaming compact between the state of California and the Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians, Assembly Member Blanca Rubio, chair of the committee, said, and no formal vote was taken at the session.

The compact before the committee is a negotiated agreement executed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Big Sandy Rancheria that would govern gaming operations and related protections. "The 3 things you have in front of you, 2 of them are amendments to an existing 1999 gaming compact," Matthew Lee, senior advisor for tribal negotiations for Gov. Gavin Newsom, told the committee. Lee said the amendments extend the expiration of the existing 1999 compact and incorporate two items the U.S. Department of the Interior cited in a prior disapproval.

Those two items, Lee said, are CEQA exemptions and a guarantee of exclusivity for certain forms of gaming; both elements, he said, already exist in California law but were not previously written within the four corners of the compact. Lee said placing them in the compact addresses the Department of the Interior's stated reasons for disapproval and allows the negotiated compact to take effect.

Lee summarized other standard terms that remain unchanged: worker protections including a tribal labor relations ordinance and minimum-wage terms, revenue sharing through a Revenue Sharing Trust Fund to distribute gaming revenue to other tribal governments, a mechanism for the state to recover regulatory expenses, and distributions to local governments. He said the compact would allow up to 3,000 gaming devices across two facilities, and that one facility could be located on the McCabe allotment, which federal authorities recently found eligible for gaming and which lies closer to the city of Fresno than the tribe's existing reservation.

Elizabeth Hutchins, chairwoman of the Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians, told the committee the compact and the related ratification bill, SB 49, are essential to the tribe's long-term economic plans. "This compact provides the legal foundation for our continued gaming operation, promotes our future growth, and, of course, ensures what we can deliver essential programs and services to our members," Hutchins said. She said the tribe has trust land on the Rancheria and additional land east of Fresno, described the tribe's ties to the Sierra Nevada region and its cultural priorities, and thanked the bill authors and committee staff.

Hutchins also described an Impact Mitigation Fund established under the compact to support local law enforcement, emergency services and neighboring jurisdictions, saying the fund will help ensure those agencies "continue to have the resources to support their community." She identified SB 49 as the ratification vehicle authored in the Legislature by senators Shannon and Grove.

Chair Assembly Member Blanca Rubio reminded attendees that the hearing was informational and that the Legislature cannot amend the compact. She said SB 49 is the ratification bill and that consideration of the bill will occur later, including on the Assembly floor. After the presentations and public-comment opportunity, Rubio adjourned the committee.

No formal motion or vote occurred during the hearing; committee members were briefed on the compact's terms and the changes made to address the Department of the Interior's prior disapproval.