Sonoma County is hoping the public can weigh in on a proposed casino expansion project that would dramatically increase the size and scope of the business.  

The additions to the River Rock Casino near Geyserville would add roughly 3,000 square feet to the 37,000-square-foot gaming floor and about 1,200 square feet to the 8,000-square-foot dining area. 

It would increase the number of slot machines from 1,000 to 1,300 and add four more gaming tables to the existing 24. The casino would also become a “resort,” with a new 100-room hotel tower and spa, with a pool and 7,000 square feet of dining space.  

The Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, which owns the casino, has issued a supplemental environmental study for the proposed expansion, the county said Wednesday last week, which sparked a call for public comment.  

Pomo and Wappo tribes occupied the Russian River and Dry Creek Valleys “continuously and successfully for more than five thousand years,” says their website.  

The county actually has no direct say in the River Rock expansion project, since it is proposed on land held in federal trust for the tribe — also known as a reservation.  

“Public input, however, will inform the County’s comments and government-to-government discussion with the tribe,” said a spokesperson for the county.  

River Rock opened in 2002 and was the county’s first casino. As with many communities in the state, there has been a somewhat acrimonious push and pull between county officials, residents, and tribes that want to open or expand casinos, and Sonoma County is no different. 

The entrance to Graton Resort & Casino appears in a 2013 image. The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria is seeking to expand the casino near Rohnert Park by roughly half, adding 144,000 square feet of gaming space and 221 hotel rooms. (Photo via Wikipedia)

In 2013, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria opened Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park, taking a large chunk of the same gaming customer pie from River Rock.  

Then in April 2022, The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria sought to expand the Graton Resort & Casino by as much as 50 percent. The tribe broke ground on the $1 billion project in 2023.  

In 2022, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the Koi Nation of Northern California’s proposal to place land southeast of Windsor into a trust to build a casino. It too holds no real teeth, as it is a federal matter.  

Currently, the Koi Nation is awaiting the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs’ approval of the environmental assessment of its proposed project. The Koi Nation also shares Pomo Indian ancestry, according to their website.  

Community members have issued hundreds of letters and comments in opposition to the casinos and have spoken at public hearings. The most comment complaint falls into the NIMBY category, with many people concerned with effects to infrastructure, traffic, wildlife, crime, visuals and even possible wildfire safety concerns during evacuations.  

The public is invited to submit comments by June 28 to tribalaffairs@sonoma-county.org. 

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.