Tribe’s casino plans delayed

Monday, Sept. 26, 2005 | 9:53 a.m.

YUMA, Ariz. -- A Yuma-area tribe has been forced to scrap plans to break ground this fall on a new casino and resort complex because the California Legislature did not act on a compact negotiated with California Gov. Arnold Scharzenegger.

The Quechan tribe wants to build a two-story casino, a six-story hotel and other facilities off Interstate 8 just west of the Arizona-California line.

Tribal President Mike Jackson said opposition from other California tribes resulted in the proposed legislation being bottled up, a development that he said will cost the tribe millions of dollars in lost revenue.

"We were told before it went to the Legislature that there was no opposition there, except for some opposition from the urban tribes," Jackson told The Sun newspaper of Yuma on Friday. "At the time, we didn't understand the nature of their influence with key legislators."

The agreement between the Quechan tribe and Scharzenegger would allow a casino with 1,100 slot machines. The tribe also would share up to 25 percent of its winnings, with the amount increasing as overall winnings grow.

The tribe already operates a casino with 475 slot machines on the Arizona side of the reservation and a 347-slot casino nearby that is in California.

Jackson said the new casino and resort would provide more than 800 jobs and boost the tribe's economic future.

An attorney for the tribe said it is looking at its legal options. The first step likely be to request dispute resolution with California and, if that fails, explore appealing to federal court, Larry Stidham said.