Tribes tell Newsom they plan to reopen Southern California casinos. What about north state?
Eight Southern California Indian tribes have told Gov. Gavin Newsom they plan to begin reopening their casinos May 18, even as the governor pleads with businesses for patience on starting the economy back up.
The chairs of eight gaming tribes in San Diego County laid out their plans to reopen their casinos “with the knowledge that we can maintain and protect the public health and welfare and, if required, scale back if local conditions develop or warrant.” They announced their plans in a letter Friday to Newsom and Greg Cox, chairman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
There are no signs that Northern California’s gaming tribes have imminent plans to reopen their casinos, including major resorts such as Thunder Valley near Lincoln, Red Hawk near Shingle Springs, Cache Creek in the Capay Valley and Hard Rock Casino near Wheatland. Thunder Valley’s website, for instance, said the resort is closed “until further notice.”
The declaration by the San Diego tribes represents the latest example of California businesses’ growing impatience with Newsom’s coronavirus stay-at-home order. Newsom allowed retailers to reopen Friday for curbside pickup, although few stores or consumers in the Sacramento immediately seized on the opportunity. The governor has been scolding counties that have reopened their economies broadly, such as Yuba and Sutter.
While Newsom or county officials can take actions against businesses violating the stay-at-home orders, their authority on casinos is far more limited. Tribal officials, and experts on tribal law, say they have the legal right to reopen their casinos when they want.
California’s tribal casinos generate $8 billion in annual revenue. Gaming tribes, like many other businesses, say they have suffered enormous losses during the economic shutdown. Casinos are “the only lifeline for essential government functions on each of our reservations including, but (not) limited to: police, fire, medical, education, child care, housing, water and wastewater, eldercare, environmental protection, recreation and more.”
In their letter, the San Diego tribal chairs said all employees and customers will be required to wear masks. Customers will have their temperatures taken before they can enter. Many of their slot machines will be closed “to achieve necessary social distancing,” and high-traffic areas like the buffet lines and swimming pools will stay closed.
Susan Jensen, executive director of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, said last week that some casinos are gearing up by installing temperature kiosks and Plexigas shields between slot machines to guard against the spread of COVID-19.
Similar measures were taken when casinos reopened in the Asian gambling mecca Macau.
This story was originally published May 9, 2020 at 11:19 AM with the headline "Tribes tell Newsom they plan to reopen Southern California casinos. What about north state?."