DAILY REPUBLIC
Interior's gaming eligibility decision expected in late July; Scotts Vallejo challenges 3 suits
February 6, 2026
VALLEJO — The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians announced Thursday that the U.S. Department of the Interior expects to complete its reconsideration of the tribe's gaming eligibility by the end of July.
On Friday, the tribe filed three motions to dismiss three federal cases brought by opposing casino tribes against their casino plans in Vallejo.
“These lawsuits are an attempt to prevent the tribe from exercising its sovereign right to pursue economic development on its rightful ancestral land,” Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians Chairman Shawn Davis said in a statement.
The lawsuits were brought by the tribes that own Cache Creek Casino, San Pablo Lytton Casino, and Thunder Valley Casino Resort to challenge the Jan. 10, 2025, decision of the Department of the Interior to place into trust a 160-acre parcel of land in Vallejo for purposes of gaming, government operations and housing for tribal members.
The Department of the Interior informed the U.S. District Court for District Columbia about the timeline in a filing on Tuesday.
“This filing is another step toward finalizing our long-term partnership in Vallejo, where we can advance economic resilience, create jobs and expand opportunity,” Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians Chairman Shawn Davis said in a statement.
“It’s notable that nothing in the filing changes the legal status of our tribe’s trust land, and our gaming eligibility remains in effect. With the law and facts on our side, we will continue to uphold our gaming rights while advancing economic development for our community,” Davis said.
The tribe also emphasized that the reconsideration of gaming eligibility "has no bearing on the sovereign status of the tribe's trust land in Vallejo," the statement said.
"No court has issued any orders preventing or delaying the tribe from moving forward with its project."
Anthony Roberts, tribal chairman for the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, said he welcomes the timeline, stating that Scotts Valley has for months tried to keep the Department of Interior from fully considering the facts and the law.
“What Scotts Valley’s statement leaves out is that this extended timeline exists only because it failed to submit any evidence of its own during prior comment periods,” Roberts stated. “Yocha Dehe met every deadline because we respect this process and the communities impacted by it. It is frustrating to see continued delays driven by Scotts Valley’s inability to demonstrate a legitimate historical connection to Vallejo. Vallejo deserves transparency, certainty, and decisions rooted in actual history.”