Community Corner

Judge Tosses Suit By Anti-Casino Group

The suit against Rohnert Park filed by a group opposed to the Graton Rancheria Casino & Resort has been thrown out by a Sonoma County Superior Court judge.

In November, Stop the Casino 101 Coalition, a group of residents living close to the casino, filed a lawsuit on grounds that the city’s plan to widen Wilfred Avenue was subject to the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA.

Wilfred Avenue is the main entrance point into the casino and is being widened from one to two lanes in each direction.

The petitioners argued that the city failed to do an environmental impact report on the entire parcel transferred into trust to the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. They also said the Las Vegas-style casino would negatively impact critical habitat for the endangered tiger salamander found in t he area.

But Rohnert Park said that the environmental study the tribe conducted in 2009 was sufficient and that lands taken into trust by the federal government were exempt from California laws, including CEQA, echoing Gov. Jerry Brown’s stance.  

Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Elliot Daum agreed, saying the suit lacked merit and dismissed it on Wednesday. Another lawsuit by the Stop the Casino 101 Coalition, arguing that the property where the Graton Rancheria casino is being built is still under state jurisdiction, goes to trial August 2.

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