UPPER LAKE — The construction of a casino on Highway 20 in Upper Lake took an important step toward becoming a reality with the signing of a tribal-state gaming compact between the State of California and the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake.
“We are ecstatic and heartened,” Sherry Treppa, chairperson of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Tribal Council, said of the compact, which will help “the tribe and its economic viability in the future.”
The proposed Running Creek Casino would be a 33,000-square-foot “sprung structure” featuring 349 slot machines, six gaming tables, a cocktail lounge and sit-down and fast food restaurants, Treppa said.
Governor Jerry Brown announced the compact signing in a statement released Wednesday.
“The compact funds programs in local communities that mitigate the impact of gaming activities and address gambling addiction,” according to the statement.
The next step in the ratification process would be passage of legislation at the state level. Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro will sponsor the state legislation with state senator Noreen Evans co-sponsoring, according to Treppa.
The state legislature ratified a previous compact between the tribe and the state in 2009, but the U.S. Department of Interior subsequently disapproved the agreement in 2010.
The 2011 compact supersedes the 2009 compact.
