Dear Reader,Unfortunately our comment platform isn\'t available at the moment due to issues with our paywall and authentication vendor The Lake County-based tribe received word Wednesday from the Interior Department that it was temporarily rescinding its “gaming eligibility determination” for the tribe’s planned Vallejo resort-casino and will further reconsider its approval of the project has hit a roadblock in its effort to develop a huge casino-resort in Vallejo after the project appeared to be on the fast track to becoming a reality Department of the Interior wrote to Scotts Valley Chair Shawn Davis on Wednesday informing him that the federal agency is temporarily rescinding its “gaming eligibility determination” and will further reconsider its approval of the project A senior adviser to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum Scott Davis (no relation to the tribal chairman) clarified in his letter that the tribe’s 160 acres near the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 37 will remain in trust for the Scotts Valley band He emphasized the recent action does not represent a final decision But it opens a new round of debate that is sure to include additional input from tribes vehemently opposed to the Scotts Valley plan — three of which recently sued the Interior Department over its initial approval under the Biden administration The ramifications of the move immediately raised questions about the potential impact on another controversial North Bay tribal casino-resort planned by the Koi Nation near Windsor — and also approved in the waning days of the Biden presidency Because the Scotts Valley casino bid had been moving in lockstep with the Koi Nation’s proposal close observers of the Indian gaming industry speculated whether the Koi tribe “We do not have any information regarding reconsideration of the Koi Nation proposal,” a representative of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs wrote in an email to The Press Democrat while confirming the Scotts Valley gaming revocation Koi tribal leaders did not respond to an interview request Other tribes invested in the fight over the Vallejo casino had plenty to say we have requested that the Department of the Interior establish a fair fact-based decision-making process in which all tribes can participate on equal footing,” Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Chair Anthony Roberts said in a statement “It’s hard to know why the Biden Administration refused to follow these basic principles but we’re glad the incoming Administration is committed to getting it right.” prioritized land-to-trust agreements for tribes that had been illegally stripped of federal recognition in the middle of the 20th century Scotts Valley and the Koi both fit that definition and Haaland’s office determined in the final days of the Biden administration that both were eligible under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and a rash of lawsuits by tribes that claim ancestral ties to areas near the proposed casino sites Four Sonoma County tribes, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Lytton Rancheria, Dry Creek Rancheria — all of whom operate Bay Area casinos — and Cloverdale Rancheria signed on to legal complaints against Donald Trump’s Interior Department claiming the federal government had ignored environmental law in approving the Koi Nation project tribal chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria applauded the Interior Department’s decision on Scotts Valley and urged the agency to follow suit and revoke its approval of the Koi casino as well “The Biden administration’s decision to approve the Koi Nation’s land grab is the product of a deeply corrupt process,” Sarris said in an email “They refused to follow the law or to consult with my tribe about the damage this would cause to our sovereignty and sacred lands.” The Yocha Dehe and another Wintun tribe, the Kletsel Dehe, both sued Burgum, the Interior secretary, on Monday, seeking to reverse Scotts Valley’s approval The United Auburn Indian Community did the same in a separate suit “UAIC has long maintained that this project fails to meet the stringent legal standards for gaming on newly acquired lands,” United Auburn chair John L “We will actively participate in the Department’s review process and provide the requested evidence necessary to ensure a thorough and lawful reconsideration.” The United Auburn Indian Community owns the Thunder Valley Casino Resort outside Lincoln “We look forward to participating in a fair As stated in the Department of the Interior letter to Scotts Valley interested parties now have until May 30 to submit evidence and/or legal analysis regarding the determination that the Vallejo site qualifies under the government’s “restored lands” definition “The Secretary is concerned that the Department did not consider additional evidence” submitted after a September 2022 policy change His letter was also sent to the city of Vallejo and the Solano County Board of Supervisors The Scotts Valley tribe’s preferred casino plan calls for a 238,000-square-foot gaming floor with as many as 3,500 slot machines plus an office building and 24 houses for tribal members You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com (KION-TV) -- Two women were arrested for shoplifting over the weekend according to Scotts Valley Police Department Authorities said both women already had warrants for shoplifting SVPD added both qualified for the Proposition 36 enhancement due to prior convictions This means there are sentencing guidelines and new felony classifications. Sergio Berrueta has been in the news for quite awhile going from studying print media to entering the realm of broadcast Berrueta started his professional news career in Eureka as a newscast producer for North Coast News (now The Northstate’s News) at KAEF ABC 23 in 2022 He pivoted a year later in 2022 going from behind-the-scenes to in front of the camera as a multimedia journalist for Redwood News Channel 3 (KIEM/KVIQ) also in Eureka Berrueta studied journalism at Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt) earning his Bachelor’s Degree social media manager and editor-in-chief of the university’s El Lenador the only bilingual publication in all of Humboldt County Berrueta had earned his Associate’s Degree at East Los Angeles College in 2019 after beginning his educational journey in 2012 He also was on staff for the ELAC’s publication Berrueta has also been in education as an AmeriCorps tutor in East Hollywood from 2017 to 2019 and served in a government role as a National Hometown Fellow for Lead for America with the City of Arcata in 2021 Berrueta is an avid amateur cinephile having written about films in free time attempting to get through a backlog of video games enjoys visiting new places along the California Coast and trying to keep up with the latest music and podcasts KION 46 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here EEO Report | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | FCC Applications | Do Not Sell My Personal Information VALLEJO – Two Patwin tribes filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking to block a major casino development in Vallejo by the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians The Patwin tribes, Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the Kletsel Dehe Nation of the Cortina Rancheria, argue that the Bureau of Indian Affairs improperly approved the transfer of land to the Scotts Valley tribe They say that the proposed casino will be built near the sites of multiple Patwin villages in the heart of their ancestral homeland. The project is slated to be built on a 160-acre site at the northeast quadrant of the Highway 80 and Route 37 interchange and includes an eight-story casino to be open 24 hours a day tribal housing and an administration building. The Patwin tribes’ lawsuit alleges inaccuracies in the Pomo tribe’s historical account of their lineage traced through an individual named Shuk Augustine. The suit also claims that the Bureau of Indian Affairs violated the law by failing to allow the Patwin tribes to rebut the historical claims of the Pomo tribe and did not consult the recognized local tribes at various stages of the approval process and in drafting the environment assessment of the project. “It is heartbreaking that the Biden Administration chose to spend its final days approving a mega-project on our sacred Patwin homelands without ever consulting our Tribe,” Yocha Dehe Chairman Anthony Roberts said “This has left us no choice but to pursue legal action to protect our people Chairman Shawn Davis of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians said “These anti-competitive lawsuits were completely expected and it doesn’t change our approach and commitment to the project We are moving forward in collaboration with the local community just as we have been.” The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation operates the Cache Creek Casino in Brooks California approximately 60 road miles north of Scotts Valley Pomo’s project site The tribe is active in Vallejo and throughout Solano County such as by partnering with the county in creating the First 5 Center in Vallejo which offers information and resources for parents of young children. More recently the tribe withdrew plans to build a restaurant and cultural center on Vallejo’s waterfront next to the Ferry building due to additional costs associated with sea level rise. The Patwin tribes’ lawsuit follows a lengthy legal battle that stretches back to 2016 when the Scotts Valley tribe submitted an application with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to transfer the property for the casino project to a tribal land trust The bureau originally denied the request with the reasoning that the Scotts Valley tribe’s historic reservation land was 75 miles away and the tribe had not provided adequate evidence of a “significant historical connection” to areas in the vicinity of the Vallejo land parcel the Scotts Valley tribe filed a lawsuit against the U.S Department of the Interior claiming that the bureau’s decision to reject their application was arbitrary and capricious. The Scotts Valley tribe’s evidence of their historical connection to the site included an unratified 1851 treaty in which Pomo ancestors ceded the land to the U.S It also traces the life of the Pomo Chief Augustine connecting him to baptismal records at Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma 17 miles from the site and later through census records that showed Augustine residing in locations in Napa and Clear Lake. The Patwin tribes’ lawsuit disputes much of this historical account claiming the connection of Augustine to baptismal records in Sonoma is unverified and that the movements of an individual do not represent a tribal connection to the area The Pomo tribe’s account also notes that Salvador Vallejo, the brother of the city’s namesake General Mariano Vallejo, captured Pomo Indians and forced them to work on their ranches including Rancho Suscol which encompassed the Vallejo project site In her ruling on the 2019 lawsuit District Judge Amy Berman Jackson found that the agency's decision to reject the Scotts Valley tribe’s application involved areas of ambiguity and the bureau should have resolved the ambiguities in favor of the tribe according to a legal doctrine known as the Indian canon The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation claimed via an amicus brief that the Indian canon does not apply when the decision would benefit one tribe over another But Berman Jackson found that the potential damage to the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation from the construction of a casino was too many steps removed from the decision before her. Now that the casino project’s environmental assessment is completed and the land fully transferred into trust for the Scotts Valley tribe along with several claims that the bureau violated the laws in the process of reaching their final decision Chairman of the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation it’s about protecting the integrity of the land-into-trust process and ensuring decisions are made fairly “Our Tribe has always stood firm in defense of our lands and heritage and this case is no different,” Wright said “Scotts Valley has no documented cultural connection to Vallejo and allowing this approval to stand sets an ominous precedent that undermines Tribal sovereignty and weakens the foundation of federal-tribal land policy.” It’s expensive to produce the kind of high-quality journalism we do at the Vallejo Sun And we rely on reader support so we can keep publishing chip in so we can keep doing this work and bringing you the journalism you rely on The Vallejo Sun is an independent news publication owned and operated by journalists illuminating Solano County About the Vallejo Sun Our mission & FAQ Contact the Vallejo Sun Privacy policy Editorial policies © 2025 The Vallejo Sun - All rights reserved (KION) -- A man was arrested after hitting their German Shepherd pup at Scotts Valley Dog Park on Tuesday According to the Scotts Valley Police Department there were reports of a drunken man arguing with dog owners before walking away It was then that those at the park saw the man hit his eight-month-old dog with a metal cup Scotts Valley Police officers showed up and detained the man The unknown man had run into the law before with an outstanding warrant for his arrest but were taken in by a nearby animal hospital to be evaluated Places to Stay Coffee, Tea + Sweets Wineries Taps and Tastings Arts & Culture Beach Boardwalk Beachs & Parks Request Wildlife Guide View Wildlife Guide Online Dog-Friendly Upcoming Events Getting to Santa Cruz Request a Travel Guide View Travel Guide Online View Map Online Travel Itineraries Frequently Asked Questions Capitola/Soquel Davenport Pleasure Point San Lorenzo Valley Santa Cruz Scotts Valley Watsonville Monterey Bay About Santa Cruz County Santa Cruz History Relocation Following the successful opening of authentic Italian bakery Emozioni in Soquel Village in summer 2024 this time in the family-and-tech-friendly community of Scotts Valley This area is popular with the Silicon Valley crowd who tend to call this gateway to local state parks home due to its proximity to Highway 17 which connects the coast to more technology-led inland communities The Adorable French Bakery is housed in a previous restaurant space renovated to create an atmosphere of cottage-core-meets-Parisian-cafe a sit-down lunch and dinner service with beer and wine are planned for the near future Pastry chef and co-owner Muriel D’Agostino eschewing the convenience of industrial machinery With a built-in following thanks to a ubiquitous presence at local farmer’s markets The Adorable French Bakery grew an enthusiastic audience before opening its own brick-and-mortar location Visitors to the bakery can choose from savory lunch pies like the tomato and zucchini-topped tarte provencale generously proportioned breakfast pastries thick American-style cookies and lemon tarts topped with swirls of glossy meringue serving as the official visitor marketing entity for Santa Cruz County Visit Santa Cruz County works to enhance tourism and the area economy by positioning and promoting Santa Cruz County as a year-around visitor CA 95060800.833.3494 or 831.425.1234HoursFriday: 11:00 a.m Get your monthly guide to Santa Cruz County’s events Accessibility Meeting Agendas Privacy Policy KQED Live Events PRX Podcast Garage Events Events Around the Bay Area Member Benefits with KQED Live Videos from KQED LiveWatch recordings of recent KQED Live events Featured That's My WordAn ongoing exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history See Senior Director of TV Programming Meredith Speight’s recommendations from this month’s KQED 9 Watch recordings of recent KQED Live events Support KQED by using your donor-advised fund to make a charitable gift A twister touched down in the small Santa Cruz County mountain town of Scotts Valley on Dec (Courtesy of Scotts Valley Police Department)When Mary Ellen Carroll’s phone blared an emergency weather alert just before 6 a.m As San Francisco’s top emergency management official she had known a day earlier that a severe thunderstorm would possibly bring flash flooding But as she poured her first cup of coffee and checked in with her staff, she realized San Francisco was dealing with something entirely new “The fact that it was a tornado [warning] came out of nowhere,” said Carroll executive director of San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management “It took us a second because we didn’t have messaging for tornadoes.” San Francisco’s first-ever tornado warning lasted less than half an hour before the National Weather Service canceled it Although straight-line winds of up to 80 mph were recorded around Golden Gate Park and the Mission District there was no evidence of a tornado — leaving some residents questioning the messaging especially after a tsunami warning had spurred a scrambled response less than two weeks earlier In the small Santa Cruz County mountain town of Scotts Valley, on the other hand, a twister touched down early Saturday afternoon causing several hundred thousand dollars in damage by flipping several cars and wrenching traffic signals from concrete — yet there was no tornado warning “People were just out Christmas shopping and getting ready for the holidays,” said Mali LaGoe “It was originally reported as a six-car pileup because no one could believe it was actually a tornado.” weather experts questioned why the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for San Francisco but not Scotts Valley The weather service defended its messaging stating national guidelines limit when it can trigger phone alerts: A low-level severe thunderstorm like the one forecast for Scotts Valley doesn’t qualify but a tornado — when the signs are clearly in view — does emeritus professor of meteorology at San Francisco State University thinks the San Francisco warning was justified he isn’t sure why the weather service “didn’t issue a tornado warning because this was a stronger rotation than they saw for San Francisco Tornadoes can occur without warning in severe thunderstorms.” including a smattering of twisters across the Bay Area Tornadoes are rare in mountainous areas — like Scotts Valley — but less so along the coast and Central Valley when a storm is large enough and warm and cold air masses collide a spiral of air can move upward and “be a precursor to a Wizard of Oz type of tornado which happened down in Scotts Valley.” And tornadoes often stem from severe thunderstorms While there’s no scientific consensus that human-caused climate change is increasing the frequency of tornadoes there is evidence that the intensity of thunderstorms is likely accelerating as the climate warms “It stands to reason that when the conditions are otherwise favorable perhaps a greater fraction of thunderstorms could occur in environments favorable for tornadoes,” UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said The National Weather Service plans to run simulations of last weekend’s storm to assess whether warnings should come sooner next time in both cities warning coordination meteorologist for the agency’s Bay Area office acknowledged that thunderstorms are becoming more intense and noted that the frequency of tornadoes might also increase “We can’t wait for perfect data 10 to 40 years down the road,” he said “We’ve got to start acting now like it is caused by climate change so we can lean forward and hopefully protect more people.” Garcia defended how the agency handled its messaging during the storm A wireless emergency alert went out for San Francisco but not the Santa Cruz area because the weather service has a national threshold for alerting on severe thunderstorms based on forecast potential destruction which Garcia said is defined by 80 mph winds and or baseball-sized hail The agency issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Santa Cruz area which means that media outlets and localities have a choice in how they message the public but cellphones are not automatically alerted Garcia argued that while the word “tornado” sounds scarier a severe thunderstorm carries just as much destructive power both a severe thunderstorm and tornado warning tell you to seek shelter in an interior room of your house or the lowest floor of your home,” he said “To try to have a one-size-fits-all all for everybody is obviously a holy grail We’re not going to be able to speak to everybody in the way that they can take an appropriate response to it.” LaGoe in Scotts Valley and Carroll in San Francisco said they felt the weather service operated within reason they said the more significant effect of the storm is that residents now know tornadoes are possible where they live “This event was a wake-up call as far as what is possible and how we prepare for the future,” LaGoe said and I think it’s highly unlikely to happen again But it’s just something we all need to recognize could happen.” Carroll said there was “very little wiggle room” for any other actions her department could have taken to protect San Franciscans from the storm, which ultimately downed more than 400 trees but did not lead to any reported injuries The city’s Department of Emergency Management has another option: using sirens to alert the public of a tornado Carroll said the outdoor public warning system built in the 1950s to warn residents of Cold War threats was turned off in 2019 due to security vulnerabilities Phone alerts are a more efficient real-time solution because “cellphones are like our mini sirens and they’re much more effective because they have more information than a siren.” Carroll said her department is now prepared with messaging in case of another future tornado warning But after the recent phone alerts for a tsunami and a tornado didn’t pan out she worries residents won’t take the messaging seriously and see city contact as “a boy who cried wolf.” To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. (KION-TV) -- Scotts Valley Police announced that Prop 36 successfully took effect New Year's Day with one arrest inside of Target was spotted by police leaving the store with multiple cosmetic items because of the state's new Proposition 36 law (increasing penalties for several drug and theft crimes) the suspect was detained and transported to jail They said she has a history of theft and now what would have been a misdemeanor in 2024 I’ve been an international professional writer and performer for over 25 years I find the intersection between all of these skills lands itself somewhere under the term “storytelling.”