The Dangers Of Highway 16

"In sparsely populated western Yolo County, residents are fearful of accidents on an unlit two-lane road designed for rural traffic that now funnels thousands of cars into the Rumsey Tribe's casino. A Caltrans review has determined that the road has twice the number of vehicular wrecks as on similar roads in California. Additionally, the tribe has applied for a liquor license that residents believe will greatly increase highway dangers."

OK, this little bit of news from the LA Times really freaks me out. Several years ago, when I was doing lots of late-night gambling at Cache Creek, it was crystal clear to me that narrow, winding Highway 16 was a BIG hazard, and that the Rumsey Rancheria band of Wintun Indians really didn't give a shit about who was getting killed on it, as long as they got paid. NOW, it looks like they want to compound this problem with liquor. People WILL die, good people, people who would otherwise have continued to live on, as a direct result of Cache Creek getting a liquor license. EVIL!

Here is the text of a letter I sent to the Sacramento Bee on April 6, 2000 (and which was published, I believe) regarding Rumsey Rancheria head Paula Lorenzo's over-reaction to having this problem pointed out:

Regarding Paula Lorenzo's letter on April 6th casting aspersions on the Bee's motives for pointing out dangerous traffic problems on Highway 16 in Yolo County resulting in part from Cache Creek casino traffic: Hoo-wee! Methink the lady doth protest too much! Just because the Indian gaming proposition passed on March 7th doesn't mean she should return to ignoring the bodies accumulating in front yards from Woodland to Guinda. No mitigation efforts by the Rumsey tribe, CALTRANS, or Yolo County can possibly match the hazards posed by sleep-deprived thrill addicts racing around blind curves peppered with blundering animals (a big mama skunk nearly sent me into a tree up there several years ago). I'm amazed that 20 miles of a single road, Highway 16, accounted for fully 10 percent of Yolo County's accidents in 1987-1997. Yolo County has tens of thousands of miles of paved roads! First, the Rumsey tribe should close the casino from midnight to 8 a.m., and put people to bed early. Second, shoot or trap the remaining wildlife in the Capay Valley. Hard for an Indian tribe to do? Not if they're serious about mitigating hazards and keeping customers alive. Otherwise, Ms. Lorenzo should grow a thicker skin and affect deafness. The screaming has just started about this issue, and it's not just the Bee - it could well be her neighbors from some roadside ditch.