Vallejo council approves services for 'very small casino operation'

The Vallejo City Council voted on Tuesday to provide fire, police and water services for a "very small casino operation" and office for the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians in Vallejo.

The agreement -technically a memorandum of understanding -includes a requirement to contribute $100,000 in community benefits, make 15 percent local hires, initiate community engagement throughout the project and give an unspecified amount to help clean up the White Slough encampment.

For over two hours, the council chambers rang with impassioned speeches for and against the agreement, often punctuated by applause. The agreement passed 4-2 with Mayor Andrea Sorce absent.

The vote was greeted with cheers and applause from members of Local 180 of the North Coast Carpenters Union and members of the Scotts Valley tribe. Around 30 people spoke both for and against the agreement.

The memorandum of understanding only applies to temporary trailers housing the small casino operation, not the $700 million casino the tribe is proposing.

The latter would occupy 160 acres and include 24 single-family residences, a tribal administration building, parking garage and a 45-acre biological preserve. It would be located near the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 37. The buildings under discussion Tuesday are in the same location as the proposed full-fledged casino.

The public comment period opened with a well-orchestrated lineup of pro-casino speakers, three from the union, two from the Scotts Valley Band, and former California State Senator Bill Dodd representing Scotts Valley.

"The tribe presents a chance to uplift the entire Vallejo community," Dodd said. The former senator's district encompassed Napa, Solano and Yolo counties and portions of Contra Costa, Sacramento and Sonoma counties.

"We are developing the land to build stability and opportunity for our families and provide benefits. That's why we support this (memorandum of understanding)," said Shawn Davis, Chairperson of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians.

"This project will generate new jobs," said Kayla Gomez, a field representative for Local 180 of the North Coast Carpenters Union.

Members of the union turned out in force, wearing their fluorescent work vests and jackets in a gesture of solidarity.

At least five people pleaded for a postponement of the decision, a postponement Mayor Sorce last week said she also supported.

"The only sensible thing to do given the decision being made on the federal level is to postpone," said Vallejo resident Anne Carr. "It doesn't mean you have to turn it down. I question the timing of putting this before you right now given that the decisions are imminent."

Carr was referring to the fact that the federal government is presently considering a determination that might make the entire issue moot -both the small casino and the full-fledged casino.

The casino is the subject of an ongoing, contentious battle between two tribes, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians.

Scotts Valley is still waiting for approval from the United States Department of the Interior. The federal agency continues to reconsider whether or not the tribe is eligible for gaming on the site, after issuing an initial approval in January 2025.

The federal government acknowledged the approval may have been a "legal error" and walked it back in March 2025. The department initiated a reconsideration process following multiple lawsuits by other local tribes opposed to the project.

Among others, members of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the Lytton Rancheria of California tribes spoke against the agreement during the public comment period.

Andy Mejia, Chairperson of the Lytton Rancheria of California, also a band of Pomo Indians, said, "Despite having no prohibition on gaming on their homelands, (Scotts Valley) have sought for decades to reservation shop and build the largest casino in the most populated location possible.

"Approval of this project has been challenged in court on grounds that it was illegally approved without consultant with local tribes and nonexistent ties of Scotts Valley to this project site," Mejia said.

He added, "If the city moves forward with the decision with Scotts Valley, Lytton Rancheria will litigate."

Anthony Roberts, tribal chairperson of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, said, "In September, Scotts Valley proposed this project as a tribal office. Only after public inquiry did it become apparent this was for a temporary gaming operation Scotts Valley had planned all along.

"What's more disappointing for us is that city staff has chosen to move this project along in a way that allows no chance for interested parties to engage," Roberts said.

Along those lines, "The community has not been given a chance to voice their concerns," said resident Liat Meitzenheimer, the president of Fresh Air Vallejo.

Council Member Tonia Lediju said, "You are having to build trust with the community. What was the initial request you made of the city when you put those temporary buildings up there? They were to be office buildings. The way that unfolded was a very distrustful way.

"If you want me to engage in an MOU there has to be honesty in the process," Lediju said.

At its Sept. 30 meeting, the council was told the tribe was building only offices. No mention was made of gaming. Based on that understanding, the council directed city staff to draft an agreement to temporarily provide water, police and fire services for offices and parking.

However, after the council's September vote, the tribe changed its request to include the use of the temporary buildings for what the tribe's attorney Patrick Bergin described Tuesday as "a very small casino operation."

Lediju, a former auditor for the City of San Francisco, noted that the agreement was limited to $500,000 in cost recovery, without accommodations for expansion. She also noted that there was no clear mechanism to renegotiate terms.

"How is the city protected if the impacts exceed estimates?" she asked.

Earlier, quizzed about community engagement, the tribe's lawyer said the tribe had donated money to nonprofit organizations and kept in touch with the various city councils over the years. Lediju said, "I thank you for all those things. That is not community engagement."

Council Member Alexander Matias said he had a message to the community: "What are we going to say 'yes' to?" He was referring to many proposed businesses the community had not supported in the past.

"On the merits, I can't vote for this agreement tonight. Part of that is because I don't think that the agreement in its current form is substantially bringing to the City of Vallejo the benefits it could bring," Matias said.

He added, "While I appreciate the philanthropic work what I need from the tribes in my community is to make substantial investments. I appreciate the checks but I want the big checks sustained over time. We need real multimillion dollar investment in our community."

The council member made a motion for Scotts Valley to retool the proposal and return in 30 days. However, only Lediju voted in favor.

The council voted 4-2, with Lediju and Matias opposed, to accept the proposed agreement with amendments including making 15 percent local hires, initiating community engagement and giving an unspecified amount to help clean up the White Slough encampment.

At 11:53 a.m., less than an hour after the motion passed, the Scotts Valley Band issued a press release describing the approval as "a pivotal moment in the partnership between the two governments and a step forward for the Vallejo community."

"This is just one step in many future partnerships with the City, and we are looking forward to all the great work we can achieve by working in tandem with our City partners," Scotts Valley Chairperson Davis said in a statement.

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