The proposed Shiloh Resort & Casino in California’s Sonoma County is facing trouble, as members of the California government begin their pushback on the plan. Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins and Windsor Town Manager Jon Davis have both entered the legal fray as they try to halt the development.
It’s a months-long issue, with a federal judge giving the thumbs up to the Koi Nation to take over 68 acres of land for casino development in January 2025. Plans are for it to be located near Windsor, but other tribes from the Native American community have also pushed back on the idea.
Tribal politics dominate proposed California casino case
Issues range from other tribes like Graton Rancheria claiming it will hurt tribal powers, while others believe that approval was far too quick. Another more significant issue within the tribes politics is that the Graton Rancheria tribe doesn’t believe that Koi has a claim to the territory.
In 2024, the Tribal Chairman, Greg Sarris, said in a post on the Graton website:
“Detailed anthropological, archeological, and linguistic research, as well as our family oral histories, clearly establish the fact that Koi Pomo Nation, with its historic territory in eastern Lake County, has no claim in any manner to our territory.
“In fact, their customs as well as their language were and are totally different from those of the Southern Pomo, our ancestors. Their aboriginal lands, on which their rancheria was established, are fifty-nine (59) miles from the site they claim in Windsor and their historic territory.
“The Koi claim their ancestors had a history of trading with our ancestors, which may or may not have been true.”
Now, Hopkins and Davis are adding their two cents on the issue, claiming that the area’s ecosystem is incredibly fragile. Hopkins claims that approval should’ve been halted, while Davis has pointed out that the final environmental impact statement failed to include results of the development.
The Koi Nation themselves are proceeding with attempting to join the case, claiming that prior judgments give them the runway to do as they want. Shiloh Resort & Casino is set to start construction in 2026.
