He called it “a matter of ‘right and wrong’ and what Caesars was doing was wrong.” His last day at work was May 21, a day before Harrah’s reopened the casino’s doors. Despite Pilant’s repeated concerns to management about health and safety risks, he said the company gave him an “illegal and dangerous” directive to lead the reopening. In his lawsuit, Pilant claims he was repeatedly assured that Newsom and the county were “on board” with reopening. But, he wrote, “I cannot stress enough that the risk of COVID-19 transmission remains a serious threat for all Californians.” In a letter to tribal leaders, Newsom said he understands casinos are crucial to funding their government services.

Gavin Newsom and local health officials opposed the decision to reopen.

“Rincon’s position was that someone had to take charge and do something for Indian tribes and reservations throughout the state,” he wrote in the newsletter. Like the other casinos, Harrah’s reopening plan includes requirements for face coverings, social distancing and increased sanitation.īo Mazzetti, chairman of the Rincon Band, said in a recent newsletter that the tribe “literally took the lead” to coordinate with other tribes and government officials for reopening. When they reopened after a roughly two-month closure, many other businesses in the county remained closed. Tribal casinos are on sovereign land, meaning they don’t fall under the jurisdiction of state or local health officials. The tribe contracts with Las Vegas-based Caesars Entertainment, the largest gaming company in the U.S. It uses the resort’s revenue to fund tribal government services for its more than 500 members and 5,000-acre reservation. The Rincon Band of the Luiseño Indians owns the Valley Center casino. The county has refused to name specific businesses where outbreaks have occurred, including casinos. She noted that even though those who tested positive visited a casino during their potential exposure period, it doesn’t mean they contracted the coronavirus there. The cases are tied to seven of the county’s nine tribal casinos and involve 76 employees and 141 guests, county spokesperson Sarah Sweeney said. Because they are on sovereign land, they aren’t subject to local health regulations that ordered other businesses remain closed. San Diego County’s nine tribal casinos reopened in May with limited operations, about two months after shutting down due to COVID-19.

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