By Patric Hedlund

The gambling casino proposed by the Tejon Indian Tribe to be built near Mettler (just north of the Mountain Communities) is on the mind of Cheryl Schmit, of “Stand Up for California” this week.

She is flying to Bakersfield for a public hearing Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. The meeting is to help define concerns to be included in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed casino project.
Community members are invited to attend at the East Bakersfield Veterans Building, Room 1, at 2101 Ridge Road in Bakersfield.

Over the past 15 years, Schmit, a homemaker who lives near Sacramento, has become an expert on the impacts that casinos may have on the health, safety, economy and culture of local communities. She is known as a savvy grassroots advocate for transparency in the permitting process.

The faction of the Tejon Indian Tribe seeking the casino is being financed by Las Vegas investors under a secret agreement.

“A lot of back room deals (some of them with government officials) can accompany this kind of operation,” Schmit said in an interview this week: “Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” she laughed.

The investors who are seeking to build the casino are moving rapidly in Washington D.C. and Kern County with lawyers and lobbyists to acquire 306 acres of agricultural land near the junction of State Route 99 and Interstate 5 in the name of the tribe. They are also seeking permits to construct and operate a 250,000 square foot gaming facility and a 300-room hotel. This would be about 20 minutes north of Frazier Park, a few miles north of Outlets at Tejon.

Schmit is watching for shortcuts the group may try to take in seeking permits. She said the Office of Indian Gaming regulates taking new land into trust for a tribe such as this and the National Indian Gaming Commission regulates the gaming.

But a ‘fast track’ to approval is not likely. Schmit has received confirmation that “a two part determination” will be required for this newly “reaffirmed” tribal faction.

“The U.S. Secretary of the Interior has to determine that it is in the best interest of the tribe and not detrimental to the surrounding community—and then it is sent to the Governor of California and he has a year to approve, with a possible six-month extension,” Schmit said.

The scoping hearing about the “Proposed Trust Acquisition and Casino Project” is required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
September 14, 2015 is the deadline for the public’s written comments to be submitted to Amy Dutschke, Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Pacific Region, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825.

Include your name, return address and the subject line: “NOI Comments, Tejon Indian Tribe Project” on the first page of your comments.

Photo captions:

Cheryl Schmit of ‘Stand Up for California’ will be here Sept. 1 for a public hearing on the proposed Indian Casino near Mettler.

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This is part of the August 28, 2015 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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