For Immediate Release
Gov. Brown Signs Wilton Rancheria Gaming Compact Bill
SACRAMENTO—OCT. 3—Gov. Jerry Brown today signed into law Assembly Bill 1606, which ratifies the tribal gaming compact between Wilton Rancheria and the State of California. The governor’s action followed unanimous votes by the State Senate and State Assembly to ratify the agreement, and the Governor’s approval of the compact on July 19.
“The Governor’s signature represents the culmination of so much hard work over the past several years,” said Wilton Rancheria Chairman Raymond C. Hitchcock. "Our Tribe of 758 members is sincerely grateful to the Governor and the Legislature, and especially Assemblymember Jim Cooper, for their support. We thank the businesses, labor leaders, local government officials and, most important, the many members of the community who voiced strong support for the compact. Now, we will focus on resort project planning and development."
Hitchcock said that under a “best case scenario,” the Tribe would break ground by next summer and complete construction in 18 to 24 months.
“I was proud to be a champion for this this important bill,” said Cooper (D-Elk Grove), who authored AB 1606. “This will be a transformative project for the City of Elk Grove, the entire Sacramento region and the Wilton Rancheria Tribe.”
The compact provides for strong regulatory oversight, labor, licensing, public health and safety, environmental protection, and community investment provisions found within other recent compacts.
The resort and casino project will create thousands of jobs and help Wilton Rancheria realize its goal of self-sufficiency. The Tribe has agreed to invest $186 million in the first 20 years of the project with the City of Elk Grove and Sacramento County to support police, schools, roads and other services. And the project will enable to Tribe to invest in medical care, housing and educational opportunities for its members.
Wilton Rancheria’s tribal status was terminated in 1958, and the Tribe was finally restored, without land, in 2009, after a long-fought campaign by tribal elders. On Feb.10, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Interior placed 35.92 acres of land in Elk Grove into federal trust as restored land for the Tribe.
About Wilton Rancheria
Wilton Rancheria is the only federally recognized tribe in Sacramento County. In November 2011, the Tribe adopted its modern Constitution, and since that time, tribal leadership has worked to improve the lives of its members and positively serve the community from its offices in Elk Grove.