Sept. 4, 2000 - Miwoks get OK to work with Caltrans

By ERICA BROOKS, Staff writer

Assembly Bill 1066 passed the state Assembly on Thursday, allowing the Shingle Springs Miwok tribe to contract with Caltrans in building freeway access to the Rancheria.

The bill may have the support of the tribe, but local lawmakers spoke vehemently against it, pointing at the bill's Southern California origins.

"It's a political payback," said El Dorado County Supervisor Ray Nutting. "I'm staunchly against them authoring legislation from Southern California without respect for the local community. They don't represent the citizens who are being affected."

Democrat Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, from Mission Hills in Orange County, wrote the bill, drawing accusations like Nutting's.

The tribe has already been working with Caltrans to build onramps and offramps on Highway 50, giving commercial access to the landlocked Rancheria, and paving the way for a future casino on that site.

The bill, which still has to be signed by the governor, would allow Caltrans to contract with the tribe in the same way it usually contracts with cities or counties.

While not essential for the highway access project to go through, the bill speeds the process along.

"The bill will enable us to work closer with Caltrans," said tribal council member Elaine Whitehurst, "in order to resolve the access issue as soon as possible."

The only access to the Rancheria is down a narrow residential road through the neighboring Grassy Run community, and is currently blocked from commercial traffic by a court order.

In 1997, when the tribe briefly ran a casino at the Rancheria, Grassy Run residents objected to the extra traffic through their large parcel rural neighborhood.

The freeway access would allow the tribe to run a commercial operation without subjecting Grassy Run to the heavier traffic.

Nutting said his objection to the bill has nothing to do with access, and everything to do with the political process.

"This was a shotgun approach. They counted the votes, knew they had them, and went for it," he said. "I'm not addressing the debate about the overpass, yes or no. I'm frosted because the local community wasn't involved at all."

Nutting pointed out the transportation concerns El Dorado County already faces.

Between growth issues and growing traffic problems, transportation is already a hot-button issue in the county.

"For 10 years, we've been working on improving Highway 50," said Nutting, noting the new carpool lanes on the Bass Lake grade in particular. "The (proposed) interchange location means thousands and thousands and thousands of people will be using that interchange. Our county should have been involved with those major decisions."

Tribal spokesperson Dick Moody said the bill simply allows for the tribe to have the same sort of contract with Caltrans that other governmental agencies have.

The contract, said Moody, would put the responsibility for the maintenance of the ramps on the tribe, while Caltrans would keep up the actual structures.

"Any time you reduce traffic going through Grassy Run," said Moody, "I think that's a real positive step."