The deck has once again been reshuffled concerning the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians desire to build a casino in Vallejo.
The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit and an emergency motion for a Temporary Restraining Order to block the Department of the Interior’s attempt to reopen the Tribe’s Gaming Eligibility Determination.
The Scotts Valley Band of Promo Indians wants to build a proposed 400,000-square foot casino project that includes the construction of 24 single-family residences, a tribal administration building, parking garage and a 45-acre biological preserve area on a 160-acre property located within and adjacent to the city boundary in Solano County, near the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 37. The casino facility, at a cost of $700 million, would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The land will aim to serve as the cornerstone of the Tribe’s efforts to enhance economic self-sufficiency and foster community benefits. The development is projected to create thousands of jobs in construction and ongoing operations, paying hundreds of millions of dollars in wages.
Meanwhile, opposition to the proposal remains.
Last week the United Auburn Indian Community, the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation — a gaming and a non-gaming tribe respectively — filed lawsuits seeking to overturn the U.S. Department of the Interior’s approval of the project.
Two days later, the Department of Interior formally let interested parties know that it will reconsider an approval of the casino project that it originally gave in January, five days before U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn into office.
According to a letter sent out Tuesday by the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, the Department of Interior’s action on March 27 “seeks to upend years of federal approvals and threatens a carefully planned economic development project that would provide jobs, revenue, and long-term stability for the Tribe and the City of Vallejo. The Tribe is calling the action motivated by unfounded opposition from competitors, legally baseless, and in direct violation of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, federal trust obligations, and basic principles of administrative law.”
The letter goes on to state that the Department’s action purports to “temporarily rescind” the Gaming Eligibility Determination while it reopens the record for reconsideration. This effectively ignores the determination that the Tribe’s trust land in Vallejo is eligible for gaming — despite DOI’s own prior conclusion after years of review.
“The favorable determination the Tribe received in January came after years of extensive administrative review and litigation,” the letter states. “Scotts Valley successfully challenged an earlier negative decision, which a federal court found to be deficient. The court ordered the matter remanded to the Department. The Jan. 10 decision was based on evidence submitted by all parties as of 2019, and the Department already considered and rejected the points put forward by opposing casino operators.”
The tribe contends that the Department of Interior is attempting to revisit a final decision that it had no legal basis to reopen.
“This is a shameful decision,” said Chairman Shawn Davis. “We will not allow bureaucrats trample our sovereignty or destroy the opportunities we have fought decades to secure. This land is ours. The law is on our side. And we will see the Department of the Interior in court.
“This is like trying to replay a football game after the final whistle has blown and the score has been posted. We won. The process is over. We shouldn’t have to replay the game because others don’t like the outcome.”
The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians remains steadfast in its mission to exercise its sovereign rights, develop its economy, and hold the federal government accountable to its promises.
The case is Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians v. Douglas Burgum, et al. 1:25-cv-958 (D.C. Dist. Ct.) (April 1, 2025).
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