The run-up to Thursday’s ceremonial groundbreaking for their momentous expansion was peaceful in comparison.

Plans at the 254-acre casino site call for a gaming floor almost twice the current size, with 2,000 more slot machines and an additional 200-plus hotel rooms, making it one of California’s three largest gaming facilities, led by the Yaamava’ Resort & Casino on the outskirts of San Bernardino.

The $1 billion expansion is shaping up as the largest commercial construction project in Sonoma County in years.

Rohnert Park residents and their elected leaders, and those elsewhere in the county, seem to have achieved acceptance of this busy, profitable neighbor. The contrast was not lost on Graton Rancheria Tribal Chairman Greg Sarris.

“I’m just glad that I lived long enough to see it come true,” Sarris told The Press Democrat after he and other dignitaries — including California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis — had turned over shovelfuls of dirt in a decorative planter at the side of the dais.

“I think what people understand now, when it comes to a casino resort, it’s about promises made,” Sarris said. “And today we can see that those promises have been kept.”

The promises included a commitment to environmental stewardship, job creation, good relations with neighbors and the sharing of Graton Casino revenue with local governments, the wider Sonoma County community and other tribal groups who don’t have gaming compacts.

Sarris used Thursday’s groundbreaking to emphasize the many contributions the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria have made in those areas. As he spoke to a crowd of perhaps 300 people under a big white tent in the casino’s southeast parking lot, which will soon begin its transformation to a multilevel parking structure.

Sarris ticked off the accomplishments, including:

Dramatically increasing graduation rates for local tribal kids.

650 Indian children receiving school supplies and tutoring each year.

A $2.5 million gift to the University of California to help tribal students with tuition assistance.

Another 700 “permanent” jobs at the casino-resort, in addition to the more than 2,000 already on the books — jobs, Sarris noted, that come with what he called Kaiser “gold Cadillac” benefits.

More than $200 million contributed thus far to Sonoma County and the city of Rohnert Park as mitigation funds to offset the impact on public services.

Nearly $90 million in charitable contributions to social justice and environmental causes.

“I’m very proud that the poorest people in this community are now the most influential,” Sarris told The Press Democrat, referring to his fellow Graton Rancheria members. The tribe currently has about 1,400 enrolled members. It kind of raised the bar very high. Nobody that I know has given the amount of money that we’ve given. Nobody has given the amount of charity.”

Graton Resort and Casino, one of two tribal casinos in Sonoma County, is already the Bay Area’s largest gaming destination.

Its expansion, which Sarris said Thursday will add an estimated 145,000 square feet of construction, a rooftop restaurant, a new five-level hotel, a sports bar, and an expanded pool and spa area.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature have already signed off on the tribe’s new gaming compact. Final approval now rests with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

Phase 2, tentatively slated for 2025, is expected to create a 3,500-seat performance theater at the north end of the property. It would be Sonoma County’s largest performance venue.

In addition to the permanent jobs outlined above, Sarris said the expansion will temporarily employ 2,000 construction workers — all of them unionized.

That job creation, and the money distributed across California tribes through the Indian Gaming Revenue Sharing Trust Fund, is part of what drew the state’s second-ranking executive officer to the groundbreaking. “Aren’t we all so thrilled?” Kounalakis said, greeting the audience with a big smile.

The lieutenant governor noted that the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria were the top donor in support of California Proposition 1, which enshrined reproductive rights in this state when voters passed it last November.

(The tribe has also given heavily in support of other campaigns, including the failed 2020 extension of the sales tax supporting SMART, the North Bay rail line; and last year’s Proposition 26, which sought to legalize sports betting at tribal casinos but was rejected by voters.)

Kounalakis also talked about the fundamental importance of tribal sovereignty, drawing a comparison to her work as U.S. ambassador to Hungary under President Barack Obama.

“Certainly, economic development projects are something that government should care about,” Kounalakis told The Press Democrat after the event. “Because they create ripple effects to the local economy. But also in the case of Graton, which has tribal sovereignty, I believe this project in particular is one where the public trust is a major consideration.”

And Sarris’ tribe has honored that trust, according to Kounalakis, who has announced her candidacy to become California governor in 2026.

“The way they have engaged with the local and state community, with their philanthropy, with the way they elevate the importance of their labor and how they support their workers — that makes me feel very strongly that they’re an excellent private-sector partner,” she said. “I think this has been a terrific project. And I think as they expand it, we’ll get more philanthropy. I think we’ll get more economic development.”

Sarris entered the scene grandly, riding shotgun high in the cockpit of a massive, Ghilotti Bros.-branded milling machine. He was hydraulically lowered to meet a cheering crowd.

Other dignitaries included representatives from the offices of U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, and four of Rohnert Park City Council’s five members, including Mayor Samantha Rodriguez and Council member Jackie Elward, who is running for the state Senate’s 3rd District seat.

After the speeches, those officials and high-ranking casino executives took turns donning helmets and posing with loads of dirt in the blades of gold-trimmed shovels. Construction work is set to begin Friday, Sarris said.

By Phil Barber