Patwin tribes back federal ruling blocking Scotts Valley casino plan

Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation filed an amicus brief in federal court backing the Interior Department’s 2026 opinion that bars Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians from gaming in Vallejo, California. The filing adds to opposition from other tribal governments and California Gov. Gavin Newsom as the court considers Scotts Valley’s request for an injunction.

Why it matters: - The brief strengthens a growing coalition defending the Interior Department’s July 31, 2026 determination that Scotts Valley does not meet the federal “significant historical connection” standard for gaming at the Vallejo site. - The dispute affects whether Scotts Valley can move forward with a proposed $700 million casino project in an area the Patwin tribes say is their ancestral territory. - The case also tests how much weight courts will give to the Department’s revised review after the 2025 approval was set aside for excluding evidence.

What happened: - Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation filed an amicus brief in Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians v. Burgum, D.D.C. 26-cv-02814-TNM. - The tribes asked the court to deny Scotts Valley’s request to enjoin the Department’s 2026 Indian Lands Opinion. - The opinion found that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act bars Scotts Valley from gaming in Vallejo, California. - Lytton Rancheria, the United Auburn Indian Community, and the Governor of California also filed briefs supporting the Department. - The filings argue that Scotts Valley is unlikely to win its challenge to the 2026 opinion.

The details: - The Department concluded that Scotts Valley failed to show the required significant historical connection to the proposed Vallejo gaming site. - The 2026 opinion corrected legal errors in a 2025 determination, including the exclusion of evidence submitted by Yocha Dehe, Kletsel Dehe, and other tribes. - The Department reviewed the full record over 16 months before issuing the July 31 decision. - Interior has now determined four times that Scotts Valley does not meet the federal historical-connection requirement for the San Francisco Bay Area. - The one exception was the January 2025 approval issued in the closing days of the Biden administration, which excluded critical evidence. - Scotts Valley claimed it would be unfairly and irreparably harmed without an injunction. - The tribes argue Scotts Valley had been warned by both the Department and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia not to rely on the 2025 decision. - Scotts Valley publicly said at an April 14, 2026 Vallejo City Council meeting that development at the property would be at its own risk. - Construction had not begun when the Department issued its July 31 decision. - Scotts Valley had operated a temporary facility in two modular trailers for seven days, but the “preview facility” had not opened to the public. - There is no evidence the preview casino generated government revenue for Scotts Valley. - Vallejo and the surrounding region are within Patwin ancestral homelands. - Scotts Valley is a Pomo tribe whose historical homelands are near Clear Lake, about 100 miles from the proposed site, and the Department confirmed that distance in its decision. - Yocha Dehe Chairman Anthony Roberts said the Department conducted a fair, transparent, fact-based review and concluded that Scotts Valley has no claim to Patwin ancestral lands. - Kletsel Dehe Chairman Charlie Wright said the tribe supports gaming and economic development through the legal pathway supported by the historical record.

Between the lines: - The fight is no longer just about one casino site. It has become a broader test of tribal sovereignty, historical evidence, and the restored-lands process. - The repeat Interior findings undercut Scotts Valley’s claim that the 2026 ruling is an outlier. - The Patwin tribes are framing their opposition as a defense of land and process, not a block on tribal economic development generally.

What's next: - The court will decide whether to let the Department’s 2026 opinion remain in place while it considers Scotts Valley’s challenge. - A ruling against an injunction would keep the Vallejo casino project blocked unless Scotts Valley prevails on the merits. - The case could further clarify how federal agencies evaluate historical ties in Indian gaming land-into-trust disputes.

The bottom line: - The Patwin tribes, California officials, and other tribal governments are lining up behind a federal finding that leaves Scotts Valley with a steep legal path to a Vallejo casino.