The federal government has approved a plan by the Tejon Indian Tribe to operate a Hard Rock Casino resort 14 miles south of Bakersfield. Now it is up to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who must concur with the decision before the plan can become a reality.

“From the start of our relationship with the United States government in 1851, our Tribe has fought for a homeland for our people. Today we are two major steps closer to that dream,” Octavio Escobedo III, chairman of the Tejon Indian Tribe, said in a statement. “The Department’s decision enables us to move closer to the promise of self-determination through economic development.”