UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) has passed AB 1966 to ratify a tribal compact between the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Tribe and the state of California.

This agreement allows the tribe to continue operating the Running Creek Casino in Upper Lake, generating revenue for essential government programs for tribal members.

It also ensures the tribe can operate an effective system to protect employees who are injured or become sick while performing work-related duties by conforming the provisions of its 2011 compact regarding workers’ compensation and labor relations to those of more recent compacts.

“The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Tribe is an integral part of the Lake County community. They are committed to using their land and natural resources to preserve Pomo culture, provide for the future for their children, support the stability and security of the tribe and its families, and promote social and economic well-being inside and outside of the tribal community. I am proud to represent the tribe and fight for their sovereignty in the Legislature,” said Aguiar-Curry.

“Our tribe understands and embraces the fact that the health of our members, businesses and homelands are intrinsically intertwined with the health of our local community,” said Habematolel Tribal Chair Sherry Treppa. “By developing gaming and other businesses, tribes like the Habematolel become an economic driver for rural economies – when tribes succeed, they contribute to the entire local economy.”

From before recorded history, ancestral Pomo people occupied parts of central and Northern California, known as “Pomo Country.”

The Pomos were made up of numerous small bands spread throughout the area North of the Sacramento River Delta and between the Russian River and the California River Valleys and along the Pacific Coast.

Today the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Tribe is located roughly a mile from their aboriginal land and engage in a variety of economic development strategies, which not only benefit tribal families, but also the larger community.

“I’d like to thank Gov. Brown and Assemblywoman Aguiar-Curry for recognizing the rights of California tribes and respecting our sovereignty,” said Treppa. “AB 1966 not only supports our tribe’s economic development efforts and the self-sufficiency of our members, but also protects the interests of our surrounding communities and the California public. The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Tribe believes in, and proactively supports, strong partnerships between tribal, state and local governments, and we look forward to continuing to work with California’s elected leaders in the future.”

Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Lake and Napa counties, all of Yolo County except West Sacramento, and parts of Colusa County, Solano County, and Sonoma County.