Tejon casino bill passes state Legislature

Sep. 2—The $600 million casino proposed near Mettler took another step toward final approval late Wednesday with the Legislature's passage of a bill ratifying a gaming compact between the state of California and the Tejon Indian Tribe.

Senate Bill 910 passed the state Senate on a 39-0 vote, having earlier won the Assembly's support. It now heads to the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature, and after that, a required 45-day review by the federal Department of the Interior. One of the bill's co-authors, Sen. Anna Caballero, had no vote recorded, according to legislative records online.

Passed on the final day of the legislative session, the bill was backed by Kern's entire Sacramento delegation and supported by county government as a boost to the local economy.

"It's an honor to co-author legislation which will finally give long-deserved recognition to the people of the Tejon tribe," state Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, said in a statement. "SB 910 will ratify a tribal-state compact that will greatly benefit both the Tejon tribe and Kern County with nearly 5,000 jobs, live entertainment and convention spaces that will bring exciting growth to the area."

The 166,500-square-foot casino would come with an 11-story hotel, 3,000 slot machines and an annual payroll estimated at $59 million. Located just off Interstate 5 at Highway 166, it would be part of a 320-acre complex that would include housing, a health care facility and administrative space for the 1,200-member tribe that received federal recognition in 2012.

The tribe could not be reached for comment Thursday, and neither could its Florida-based development partner, Hard Rock International.

County government celebrated the bill's passage with a Facebook post noting the casino complex would have 400 hotel rooms, several restaurants, an entertainment venue and a convention center. It pointed out that no taxpayer money or supporting infrastructure will be dedicated to the development.

Ryan Alsop, the county's chief administrative officer, added by email, "We'd like to thank the county's state legislative delegation for their hard work, and are now looking forward to Hard Rock International and the Tejon Tribe beginning construction soon."