After a majority vote, the Bishop Paiute tribe has elected to approve the sale and service of alcohol at the Paiute Palace Casino in Bishop. Marketing Director Tim McGlynn said this means the tribe will proceed to the planning phase of this new development.
In a press release the Tribal Chairman Dale “Chad” Delgado, Jr. announced the recent majority vote on the plan for alcohol service at the casino. He also said, “We look ahead to a new and exciting future in gaming and entertainment for the Owens Valley area.”
Work will initially focus on application for the liquor license. McGlynn said it is a long process, but the tribe is forging ahead. He said they have no time line yet.
Asked about the pros and cons of liquor sales, McGlynn said there is no down side. “It’s a positive development and will open up entertainment opportunities.”
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The talking heads of the Eastern Sierra who spend their Saturday evenings cozy at home watching “Murder She Wrote” and are in bed by 9 PM who never either go to the local bars or the casino; oh do they have so many opinions yet shallow lives.
This is great news for the local economy and the Tribe. Every casino in CA serves alcohol and it is not any more of problem there than at any bar not on Reservation Land. It’s obvious that most of the comments posted here are veiled attempts at a racist notion that Native Americans “can’t handle themselves with liquor.” Who cares? The Tribe is a sovereign nation with the ability to choose what they do. This is ABSOLUTELY GREAT NEWS, Congratulation Paiute Palace!
Yeah,”shallow lives”….Cause most people don’t choose to drink in some tavern untill 2AM,or drink AND gamble their hard earned money away in some casino….
There’s plenty of people drinking and gambling their hard earned money in Las Vegas past 2 a.m.
Yet, fortunately we live in a society that allows people to do it; it’s just the “idle minds” of the Eastern Sierra who desire some 1950’s lifestyle- that was rooted in “Jim Crow” laws, rasicm, McCarthyism, and sexism notions…..can’t help but think that the attitudes posted on this story reinforce this notion that “change is bad”; similar to how the local cable station in the 80’s and 90’s refused to carry MTV and only carried the CMT.
>It’s obvious that most of the comments posted here are veiled attempts at a racist notion that Native Americans “can’t handle themselves with liquor.”
Racist notion? Tell that to the Tlingit and Haida Indian tribes of Southeast Alaska. They are well aware of the dangers that liquor brings to their people. They have dry towns completely of their own choice.
Unfortunately I think my ancestors were the barbarian interlopers, my ancestors came over on the Mayflower.
Never the less, there will be no equality in this country as long as we’re treating one group of people differently from another. We can pick our friends but we can’t pick our family or ancestors, so I am no way responible for what my ancestors may or may not have done.
Treating one group of humans different then another because of what may have happened hundreds of years ago is a form of racial discrimination. I think it’s about time the Native Americans start living in the 21 century or go the way of the dinosaurs.
Is there something my ancestors did to these Native Americans that allows them not to pay their gas tax?
>Never the less, there will be no equality in this country as long as we’re treating one >group of people differently from another.
So you agree with the driving motivation of Occupy Wall Street?
>We can pick our friends but we can’t pick our family or ancestors, so I am no way >responible for what my ancestors may or may not have done.
But feel free to enjoy the benefits of their suppression and genocide of a native population. Heck, they did it not me. We can use that — lets just invade countries all over the world, occupy and suppress the indigenous population and then in a generation our hands are clean. Worked in Hawaii, Cuba (for a while) Haiti(for a while, Philippines (for a while) and a handful of Central American countries (for a while).
>Treating one group of humans different then another because of what may have >happened hundreds of years ago is a form of racial discrimination. I think it’s about >time the Native Americans start living in the 21 century or go the way of the dinosaurs.
Well, actually it was less than 200 years ago that the white man came to the Owens Valley. And sometimes reparations are just reparations…
>Is there something my ancestors did to these Native Americans that allows them not >to pay their gas tax?
I’ll bet that some of the local Paiute could think of a couple….
But whatever, I just answered your question. You asked how you could become a Native American so you could take advantage of their perceived economic and social advantages that you think exist. I told you how.
I wish I had a deal like that. How do I become a Native American?
Thank you Benett for getting the facts.
Have your ancestors walk across the land bridge at the Bering Straits 20 thousand years ago, let them spend generations migrating south, surviving radical climate changes that include periods of extreme glaciation.
Live in harmony with the various environments that the tribes settle in. Learn the habits and life cycles and use of every plant and animal around you and develop a stable civilization that lasts thousands of years.
Then have a few barbarian interlopers with superior technology take your land and destroy everything you’ve known for thousands of years. Be “given” a patch of land that you are herded onto like cattle and be forced to change your way of living in a few generations under threat of force from a free willed sovereign tribe of family and friends into a group of virtual rent-a-slaves.
I think something like that might turn you into a indigenous American.
More info on payments to the Tribe. According to the USFS: Annually the Forest Service pays $561,183 and the BLM pays $201,193 in rent to the Bishop Paiute Development Corporation.
Benett Kessler
After digging a little deeper, I have found that the tribe owes more than $9million in back taxes to the state for its gasoline sales. Considering this, I really doubt the state will approve an alcohol license if they mismanage the finances to this extent.
I say the tribe needs to pay their back taxes or no liquor license.
I don’t see why they get so much special treatment. They’re humans like the rest of us. Perhaps the State should quit paying them rent on the DMV building.
The tribe needs to get right and pay up.
Absolutely GREAT NEWS! The Casino is the only Native American Casino I’ve been to in CA that doesn’t allow drinking. I’ve been complaining about this for years to the Casino. AWESOME NEWS, CONGRATULATIONS PPC!
Big Rick,
You need to solicit your common sense services to our Tribe. We have all been waiting for a casino with a hotel for years. That would be the REAL money maker for the Tribe. I think the Tribe needs to spend alot more time and money providing infrastructure on the rez. A few years back they were supposed to have a grant to put in side walks and street lamps but it appears like nothing happened. With the alcohol being approved, I for one can say I’m worried about people walking to and from the casino on the side of the rez roads. Its hard enough to see people walking at night let alone after consuming some beverages at the casino (drunk drivers and drunk pedestrians). Everyone can pretend it doesn’t happen but it does.
The Tribal members need to hold our elected Tribal leadership responsible for ensuring everyones safety. Look at the bigger picture and be true LEADERS
If they’re gonna throw booze into the mix, then the tribe should be required to build a hotel/motel on-site so people don’t drive off shi%#faced. ANY casino that I have ever gambled in has had a room for me within walking (crawling) distance. Back in my younger years, myself and 2 friends stopped at the casino in Montgomery Pass to play a (few hands) of blackjack, and the next thing I knew, I had 12 pull tops from the beers I had been drinking in the ashtray next to me. LUCKILY, the management comped us a room, even though we were willing to pay for one. The moral of the story…if that casino, which most of you know is (was) pretty remote, had NOT had a room for us, would I have driven out of there after drinking 12 beers? In my 20’s, I thought I was bullet-proof. Probably. I thank my lucky stars it DID.
Maybe MMSA should do that for the people who partake of their Apres Ski hours at the Yodler and everyplace else that serves booze?
Wayne maybe we should shut down Vons, RiteAid, Giggles and everbody else that sells booze. They tried that in the 30’s and that really worked well.
JJ…If Von’s and RiteAid allowed it’s patrons to drink and gamble in the store or the parking lot,and then drive North for 60 miles to drink some more,chances are they would lose their liquor license….and no one is saying the Palace should be shut down.They got public support by stateing they were gonna be drug and alcohol free….now,to bring in more money,they want to change that.But ya know what?….do as you want up there…if it gets put to some kind of vote,I hope the people do the right thing.
Common sense we all know liquor and gambling is known to be a dangerous combination.Talk about out of control spending. Our community is based on a very large number of people who work in the retail and hospitality industry who frequent the casino. Most of those are living from week to week paycheck. This is a Pandora’s Box for the community. This is a very bad idea Bishop. Waite and see. I am very surprised. I thought the tribe would have a little pride in it’s people. There’s other decent ways in making money other than gambling.
People need to make their own decisions even if it means self destruction. We can’t protect everybody from themselves.
And if you really are concerned about having too many places that serve booze — please come up here to Mammoth and make your point at the City Council meeting. It’s all booze all the time up here.
They even sell it on the slopes. You want a dangerous combination? Well think about a novice skier tanked to the brim with liquid courage testing his or her manhood by going straight down Stump Alley or Canyon. It’s like a drunk freeway…..
Ken…That’s the point…..The rest of us here in Inyo County don’t want our little towns turning into a drunken, marijuana free-for-all like it’s gotten to be up in Mammoth.In our towns,we got HWY. 395 to be concerned about….speeders on the way up to your little “slice of heaven” make it dangerous enough already…..add alcohol and drugs to the mix makes it even worse.Another establishment that wants to sell alcohol,as well as offer gambling too isn’t gonna make it any better.
I hear you. And the root of all troubles on the East Side is the reliance on tourism as a primary industry. But try and talk any local Chamber of Commerce out of that reliance …..
Wow. The overt racism on this blog is deeply disturbing. Does anyone genuinely believe that serving alcohol IN THE CASINO is going to affect alcohol consumption on the Reservation as a whole. Fact is, even if you’re gambling on the cheap, you’re spending more gaming than you are making drinking, hence the casinos giving the stuff away. Do you really think that just because this casino is on an Indian Reservation it’s going to be a liquor infused free for all inside, complete with bonfire? The chances of this having any effect on alcohol consumption on the reservation whatsoever are quite slim. In fact, it occurs to me that a good sale at Rite Aid has more effect than the casino ever could. Climb out from under the thinly veiled bigotry just for a minute, and try to think clearly. As far as the skiers and tourists leaving liquored up, not having alcohol at the casino hasn’t seemed to change that yet.
Bob Loblaw – spare me the race card. You’re throwing your credibility out the window. Now go read some American history.
I’m still curious about the relationship between the Tribe and the DMV/Interagency Command Center. I guy told me last night DMV pays them $20k a month and the Command Center pays them $60k a month.
If this is even close to the truth,, it’s a sweet deal for the tribe but no deal at all for us taxpayers.
Rob,
I spoke with the DMV in Sacramento today. They told me that the State of CA pays $11,667 per month to the tribe. The DMV also pointed out that the tribe constructed the building and is likely paying off a loan to do that. I have word into the Forest Service to find out how much they and BLM pay the tribe.
Benett Kessler
Thank you Benett, I’m looking forward to you curing my curiosity regarding the Inter Agency Command Center.
😉
Pensions and Casinos
Just goes to show you how our “Out of Control Government” spends our TAX money
and you wonder why there’s no money for the schools.
What ever happened to the tribe getting a wal-mart in here !!!
Maybe they thought they’d be getting the same deal they made with the DMV and Command Center. The fact is if WalMart spent money like the State and the Feds they’d be out of business.
I think it’s about time we as taxpayers find out the truth about the State & Fed buildings on the Res.
I say lets stop acting like we live in a police state and let a person have a beer or two without Nancy Reagan yelling no all the time.
Yeah,JJ…A beer or two….or three…or four…or five,or six,or seven…or more…..Ever lost a family member to a drunk driver?
I agree, JJ. It’s perfectly legal to drink alcohol. It’s the drinking & driving that is against the law & that responsibility falls on the individual consuming the alcohol. The police issue the DUI to the driver not the business where he got drunk at. Get real people & take responsibility when you drink & have a sober driver or utilize the shuttle service.
Stop the hate……In a lot of cases of DUI vehicle accidents,IF an establishment serves alcohol to someone that is obviously drunk and impaired,and they drive away and cause a wreck,or kill someone,with witnesses’ and video surveliance,the establishment that was serving alcohol to the drunk driver can,and has been,in MANY cases held civilly AND criminally responsible,as well as the driver of the vehicle.
The tribe has finally learned the reason the big casinos have nearly naked women serving “free” drinks to the table players is the affect alcohol has on opeing wallets more freely and keeps people paying longer. It will be interesting what outfits the tribe will think of for its servers.
How about a medical marijuana dispensary while we’re at it! lol.
Daniel……Don’t give them any ideas…
To Bobbie Lee Swagger,
Blue Law has it right most of the comments reek of racism. If a new restarant opened in Bishop or Mammoth and the new business had a liquor license would you hear protests about them serving alcohol? I think not. The fact that you use the term fire water is inexcusable. Just a few years ago there was a hate crime on the Bishop Reservation, remember the KKK letter that threatened children? All of your racist comments prove that a climate of hate and ignorance still exists in the Owen’s Valley.
My thoughts exactly! In my opinion, the casino would be the safest place to drink due to the amount of surveillance cameras. No other bar has that. I’m sure they will have a trained & certified bar staff that can handle the situations that arise.
As a sovereign nation, they have the ability to decide for themselves & it’s happening regardless of what we say on here. So let’s move forward & keep our opinions, especially the negative ones, in good taste.
At least some of the off duty MLPD will have a new place to hang out at..
Unless you all plan to shutdown all the places in Bishop/Inyo County that serve alcohol, why so much concern over the Paiute Palace? Some racist tendencies being exhibited here? What is the difference drinking at the Palace or at Rusty’s?
Blue Law….Accually,in lots of ways,there is no difference…But if the tribe got public support by saying the casino was going to be drug and alcohol free,then that is the way it should stay.And like Steven says,there is enough places in Bishop and Mammoth for people to get drunk,cause problems and end up getting in trouble.It is a known fact and statistic nationwide that many tribes across the U.S. have drug and alcohol problems well above the average of other areas.And many involved with the tribes want that cycle to stop….Allowing this to happen at the casino is not sending a good message to those that want to break that cycle.
The difference is: We were sold on the idea that if we were to approve a casino in Bishop, it would be alcohol free to avoid the problems that Rusty’s and other drinking establishments frequently see happen. People who are intoxicated will spend more money. They will also cost money with their ridiculous behavior.
Go to Rusty’s if you want a drinkie poo!
Plus Rusty’s is a two minute walk away from a motel in any direction whereas the casino is quite a walk and roads with no sidewalks.
I was wondering when someone was going to bring out the race card. Give it up. There should not be alcohol served on the reservation. Anybody who has lived around here for more than a few months can understand why unless they are an alcoholic.
Do the Tribe bosses get Pensions?
LOL
LOL yeah right, pensions… most bosses don’t last that long enough in a tribe. Now if you are talking about the tribal members, well if they work for their tribe long enough the person should get a pension, just like any other employer
I thought when the Casino wanted public support to open they told Bishop they would be drug and alcohol free. What changed.
Liars! It’s as simple as that. Liars!
Greeding liars FIFY
What changed, the tribe hired a new general manager who is not native american
It will only be a matter of time before the serving of booze at the casino causes problems or cost someone their life.
Native Americans want to draw more people into their casino but it might be at the expense of one of their own.
Rob…And the thing is,will probably be some innocent person,in the casino with their spouse for a good time, ending up getting his or her butt kicked.or worse…or some innocent family in a vehicle heading home from a day out.But this is nothing different than what most others do,or want….all they think about is MORE $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Thank you Chairman Delgado for bringing us the alcohol, i mean for offering the alcohol at the casino.
“Asked about the pros and cons of liquor sales, McGlynn said there is no down side. ‘It’s a positive development and will open up entertainment opportunities.’
What boat did this guy just get off of? Positive for who? those few who may line their pockets?
Tribal voters. We did not make the best decision for the community or our people.
Maybe the Casino should donate money to the Sheriff Dept to hire more officers since they will be spending more time on the Res. Dealing with Drunks, Fights, and Domestic Violence.
VERY sorry to hear this!
I’d like to see the casino go smoke-free.
Technically I believe if you can smoke cigarettes there you can also smoke medical mj.
Rob ….The casino is in INYO County…..not Mono(Mammoth Lakes)….Try smoking weed in the bars here,and see if it’s OK to do.
Wayne – I think you can give me more credit then that. You can light up a joint anywhere it’s legal to light up a cigarette in the State of California.
Personally I don’t smoke anything but fish. 😉
Rob….OK…..But the same thing applies with your statement here….In INYO County,if anyone thinks its OK to walk down the street,standing in front of a business,at an outdoor social event,etc,,smoking dope and getting high,around other families and people,med card or not,try it (not you personally),and see if it’s OK to do.
More drunkerds?
Dont we have enough places to go and drink in the Bishop/Mammoth area?
Our towns are full to the brim with alcoholics pissing and puking all over themselves!!!
Why do we need more?
The people pushing this idea are ether drunk, stupid or greedy. I pick all off the above.
Big problems are coming to Bishop if the liquor licences are granted.
Especially to the Native Americans who can be just as bad of drinkers as any white man.
I enjoyed a boozeless, smokeless, idiot less gambling hall.
I guess my gambling days are over.
Cheers!
Also a bad thing for travelers on the highway having to deal with intoxicated drivers pulling in and out of the casino after a day of gambling…and drinking.Just another area for CHP and Law Enforcement to saturate soon..maybe a good spot for a sobriety checkpoint in the future.
This can not be good …….except for those making the profit.
All others will have a higher to price to pay. What a shame!
I thought we decided firewater was a bad thing at the reservation (beer, of course, excluded).