
There is a heady bouquet of acrimony emanating from the Napa Valley at the moment, where winemakers are turning claret with rage within the possibility of a casino besmirching their fertile soil and lush areas.
The casino may be part of a long-term ambition for the Mishewal Wappo Tribe of Native Americans, for whom the Napa Valley is just a historical homeland, that is currently suing the US federal government for federal recognition. The Wappo leaders are trying to restore the status that is federal lost beneath the California Rancheria Termination Act of 1958, which specially affected small tribal groups in California.
Recognition would permit the tribe to circumvent local zoning and to pursue financial development, which would theoretically allow it to build a casino without seeking approval from the community. California currently has 65 gambling enterprises operated by 64 various tribes.
According to a report by Los Angeles-based Beacon Economics, tribal gaming supports about 56,000 jobs in California and, in 2012, the state’s casino workers took home $2.9 billion in wages.
Casino Would ‘Upset Agricultural Balance’
But the problem having a casino amongst the world-famous vineyards of the Napa Valley, as the vintners aim out, is that a Napa County legal ordinance offers priority to ‘agricultural land use,’ and dis Read More
