Newly selected Mayor Jake Mackenzie wore a kilt and tie for his swearing-in this past week, but it was the ceremonial dagger attached to his calf that raised more eyebrows.

"We let you in with that?" one city staffer jokingly asked.

As he assumed the top position on the City Council, the Scottish-born Mackenzie was ready to do battle - at least figuratively speaking - from a new position of strength.

The November election resulted in a power shift on the Rohnert Park City Council. Voters weakened the influence of a developer-friendly majority by ousting Greg Nordin, a frequent ally of current council members Armando Flores and Amie Spradlin.

Mackenzie, who enjoys strong backing from the environmental community, was re-elected, being joined by council newcomer Tim Smith, who also was supported by environmental organizations.

Along with Councilwoman Vicki Vidak-Martinez, they have pledged to establish an open and transparent city government.

Mackenzie wasted no time in setting the new tone.

"My calendar and the city manager's calendar will be posted online so that folks can know with whom we're meeting," he told the crowd that packed the council chambers last week. "My meetings with people doing business with this city will continue to be held in City Hall and noted on my schedule."

Just to make sure the message really was getting through, the new mayor invited a trio of musicians to sing "The Times They Are A-Changin'."

**snip**

The new direction in Rohnert Park is largely a result of the backlash against private meetings between city officials, Indian tribal representatives and developers that ushered in a casino project on the outskirts of Rohnert Park.

A further series of closed-door meetings led to a controversial agreement with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, which pledged to pay the city $200 million over 20 years when the huge casino-hotel resort is built.

The casino issue has dominated Rohnert Park politics over the past 1½ years, resulting in lawsuits, a spurned effort to put the revenue-sharing agreement with the tribe to a referendum vote and a recall election targeting council members Flores and Spradlin.

Flores and Spradlin survived the recall attempt last August. But their political ally, outgoing Mayor Nordin, was unseated by Smith in the November election.

Flores offered a conciliatory tone last week, saying that it is time to move beyond the "anger and venomous statements" that characterized the debate over the casino.

Nonetheless, divisions remain. Longtime council critics such as Larry Esparza, a staunch casino opponent, asserted that "the old empire has collapsed ... there's a new day in Rohnert Park."

Esparza believes the new council leadership will be more sympathetic to efforts aimed at thwarting the casino at the state level.

Nordin came under fire during the campaign for meetings he and City Manager Carl Leivo had with governor's negotiators last summer, urging them to grant the tribe a gaming compact to operate the casino. Both Mackenzie and Vidak-Martinez complained loudly about not being notified of the meetings and said they would not have approved of them.

Mackenzie said last week he believes the casino eventually will be built, but it might be delayed or scaled down in size.

Mackenzie's selection as mayor last Tuesday was the first tangible result of the new political alignment. He quickly rebuffed a motion by Spradlin to make Flores the vice-mayor and engineered a vote to give Vidak-Martinez the post instead.

Vidak-Martinez was criticized in 2003 for being part of a council subcommittee that privately negotiated the $200 million memorandum of understanding with the tribe. While the councilwoman has defended the agreement as necessary insurance for the city in the event the casino gets built, she also has charted a more middle course over the past year and increasingly sided with Mackenzie on some volatile issues.

Both have been critical of City Manager Leivo for not sufficiently informing the whole council about the casino and other matters. They also claim Leivo usurped the role of former City Attorney Betsy Strauss, who ended up resigning.

In an interview the day before the Nov. 2 election, Mackenzie said he would fire Leivo, given the chance. "If I get two votes, I will ask for Leivo's removal," he said.

Mackenzie was more cautious last week, saying the city manager's contract will be reviewed in the coming year.

"I was not in favor of hiring and extending his contract. My position hasn't changed on that," he said. "I'm also recognizing it's very important to have a sense of continuity. We have a huge amount of work ahead of us on this council."

Vidak-Martinez said it was premature to discuss Leivo's fate, while Smith said he appreciates Leivo keeping him informed before taking office, and introducing him to people around the city.

Besides choosing the city's top administrator, the new council has the ability to make its mark on a number of projects that will be coming up in the next couple years. The city is moving forward with annexations of more than 800 acres as called for in the Rohnert Park's general plan. Approval of those annexations along with infill development are expected to give the green light to the building of thousands of homes over the next decade, along with commercial development and a new regional shopping center on Rohnert Park's northwest side.

Developers have been jockeying to be first in line for building permits because the city has a growth control ordinance that rations the number of new homes allowed.

The pre-Nov. 2 City Council was open to allocating those permits in exchange for concessions from developers, such as one who offered to donate 72 acres off Petaluma Hill Road for the city to build community athletic fields.

But Smith has taken a strong stance against doling out building permits before environmental studies are completed in the annexation areas.

And Mackenzie also characterized the 72-acre offer as tantamount to "a bribe."

Observers see Vidak-Martinez as a pivotal swing vote on the new council.

"I am kind of the middle," Vidak-Martinez acknowledged.

At the same time she was quick to describe herself as "pro business," with her main goal to get the city back on solid financial footing.

"I also stand for community building. I have that in common with Mackenzie and Smith," she said. "They ran on that major plank."

Smith, an attorney, said he expects to play the role of mediator on the council. "I'm looking to be on friendly terms with everyone on the council," he said.

Smith was appointed last year to the Planning Commission by Mackenzie and also campaigned with him in the City Council election, but said they won't vote in lockstep.

"We play tennis together a lot," said Smith. "One of the analogies I make, is sometimes we disagree on line calls. And sometimes we will disagree on Rohnert Park policy. And that's OK."

Proponents say the project will be a boon for tourism to the area, also adding 2,200 jobs.

But the project has its critics, who say they are worried about crime, traffic jams and other environmental issues.
The controversy over building the project led to unsuccessful recall attempts of two Rohnert Park city council members who supported a $200 million revenue-sharing agreement with the Graton tribe.

"This is a monster, no question," said Jake Mackenzie

This is the test case for Indian Casinos in California and the rest of the US.

The rates at which alcohol related crimes in urban (and rural) areas climb is astronomical.

Three of the Council Members met without telling the other two or the Citizens of this town and decided to invite a casino here and got a small amount of money (bribe) to do it. How much went into the back pockets of this corrupt regime we don't know.

A recall was attempted but lost but the new council member that ousted ~~Emperor Norton~~ Mayor Nordin will bring a little practicality to the Council.

Whether the Good Ol' Boy Builders that have had Flores in their back pocket for over 20 years will still be able to slip in and do all the building remains to be seen.

Unfortunately the residents of RP had no say in it. Except for voting in the wrong people.

Note to self: Steer wide of casinos

Sunday, December 19, 2004

By CHRIS SMITH
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

File this under the heading, Possible Implications of a Major Casino Resort near Rohnert Park:

Traffic accidents and DUI arrests have risen sharply on roads around a similar casino that opened last year in Placer County.

A story in the Sacramento Bee said that since the Thunder Valley Casino opened near Roseville and Rocklin in June 2003, accidents on nearby roads have increased by 92 percent, DUI arrests by 600 percent.

"We told you so," clucked one critic of the United Auburn Indian Community's casino.

CHP officials say it's not as though the tribe doesn't care what people do once they leave the place.

"We have an incredible working relationship with them," said Kelly Baraga, a CHP officer in Newcastle.

Thunder Valley, which serves alcohol, offers soft drinks to designated drivers, pays for extra CHP officers and alerts them to seemingly inebriated patrons who are heading for their cars.

"We try to stop as many people as we possibly can before they leave the casino parking lot," Baraga told me.

However, she said, the casino area's accident and DUI-arrest statistics don't lie; "Unfortunately, there are those few (impaired drivers) that are going to slip through the cracks."

My feelings are mixed about Rohnert Park's casino agreement, but not about the importance of us being as clear as can be about all that comes with the deal.
____________________________________________________________

Those few...LOL

Twice as many accidents and SIX times more DUI arrests.

The CHP has an incredible working relationship with the Casino. I'll bet, 6 times as much revenue from drunk drivers.

Thanks for the reply.

:>)

Casinos are usually built on land designated as "Indian Country." Under federal PL 280, the only local non-tribal jurisdiction applicable on that land is State criminal law

So the Federal PL 208 is about State criminal law. If someone on the "Indian Country" area breaks a California State Law, the local LEO's can go on the casino land and make an arrest?

Essentially, the Counties don't have jurisdiction and don't have much of a say whether a casino goes in or not.

Nor the nearby cities. The Indians are a sovereign nation, and so is the USA. They can just go anywhere and buy land and hook up with a Las Vegas or Indonesian or African company and start a casino?

Our city here did a secret deal with the casino people which IMO is a drop in the bucket compared to the profits the sponsoring company and the Tribes will get. The roads (they turn into rural bumpy roads with ditches on each side) will need more than 10 million dollars a year to fix.

They also bribed the police dept here so they are behind it. When it happens the money they will be getting won't pay for all the problems that will appear.

Locals often have the mistaken impression that they can veto a casino proposed in Indian Country. This is incorrect.

Well of course it is. The locals here didn't have any idea what was happening because some of the officials snuck around behind the backs of the people that elected them and got paid off (IMO) and gave the casino a sweetheart deal.

The ironic thing is that "Indian Country" can be anywhere. I imagine they could designate my backyard "Indian Country" and park cars there.

The sad part is that the Indians are getting ripped off just as the locals are. And some of the Indians are ripping off others of their own tribes. Sad.

____________________________________________________________

The quote from post # 2 came from here:

'Monster' Casino Planned in Rohnert Park

(Daily Pacific Builder, 10/19/04)

By Robert Carlsen

The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria is completing an environmental impact report for its 760,000-sq.-ft. casino/hotel/resort in an undeveloped 360-acre site west of Rohnert Park, Calif., in Sonoma County.

Environmental study issues include wastewater disposal, groundwater depletion, winter flooding problems, traffic along Highway 101 and endangered species (the tiger salamander).

The controversial project, which was first proposed to be located off Highway 37 near the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma County, will feature approximately 2,000 slot machines, 120 gaming tables, five restaurants, three cocktail lounges, 6,400 parking spaces (including a 2,000-car garage), a 300-room hotel and a 1,500-seat performing arts center.

The resort will be the largest in Northern California and will rival even some Las Vegas properties in size and scope. The state's biggest Native American casinos are located in the San Diego area: The Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, for example, is 1 million sq. ft., including a 522-room hotel.

The Graton tribe's partner in the project is Station Casinos of Las Vegas, which operates 10 properties there and also the Thunder Valley Casino, a tribal property located northeast of Sacramento.

Proponents say the project will be a boon for tourism to the area, also adding 2,200 jobs. But the project has its critics, who say they are worried about crime, traffic jams and other environmental issues. The controversy over building the project led to unsuccessful recall attempts of two Rohnert Park city council members who supported a $200 million revenue-sharing agreement with the Graton tribe.

"This is a monster, no question," said Jake Mackenzie, a Rohnert Park councilman.

The project is undergoing a federal environmental review to determine whether the resort can be as large as proposed or if the tribe needs to scale it down. Because of the sovereign status of Indian tribes, however, the resort is not subject to the same local and state laws as other construction projects. The site is designated as open space in the county general plan.

The National Indian Gaming Commission plans to finish the Graton environmental study by mid- to late-2005. Construction would begin in 2006 with completion scheduled for 2007.

Mackenzie said last week he believes the casino eventually will be built, but it might be delayed or scaled down in size.

We can only hope! (Literally ... since hope is all we have, rather than any effective political process to halt this cr*p.) I live VERY close to this proposed project and I am incensed about it, along with almost everyone else I know. As planned, the casino is going to squat like a behemoth in the middle of a theoretical green zone, completely ruining the only view in this area of hills in all four directions. More importantly, the roads all around are absolutely and completely not set up to take any amount of extra traffic. The main north-south conduit that parallels Hwy 101, Stoney Point Road, is routinely backed up for a couple of miles at rush hour every day. There is nowhere to widen this road without using eminent domain and taking people's houses. The smaller road that runs by the proposed casino has NO shoulder and very deep ditches, and also cannot be widened without a number of people losing land and perhaps even their houses (though luckily there are not too many houses on that street).

The land for the proposed casino is also a tiger salamander area. A couple of years ago, I went to look at some of the land with an eye toward building a house there (much less invasive than a whole casino and hotel!) but found it would be extremely difficult because of the environmental regulations. So I ask you, WHY is it okay that the Indians are going to build a huge complex there?! Will the tiger salamanders be less impacted because "indigenous peoples" are taking their habitat???

Allowing Indians to buy land and suddenly disregard all rules and regulations that bind anyone else is just wrong. We need to get rid of these stupid laws that were enacted so thoughtlessly.

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Changing of the guard (Giant Casino Coming To Town)

Mackenzie vows new openness in city dealings

Note to self: Steer wide of casinos