Posted on 05/23/2008 10:40:52 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO – A bipartisan measure that authorizes a large group of California Indian tribes to operate up to 2,000 slot machines each sailed out of the state Senate yesterday despite late opposition from San Diego County.
The legislation would redefine terms of 61 compacts negotiated in 1999 to grant each of the tribes up to 2,000 slot machines. That includes local tribes such as Rincon, San Pasqual and Jamul, which are itching to expand or build new casinos. “It's a truth-in-advertising measure,” said Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, a Temecula Republican whose district includes the Rincon and San Pasqual reservations. “The tribes were promised 2,000 machines in their compacts.”
Most of the Senate agreed, voting 25-5 to approve the bill by Sen. Jim Battin, R-Palm Desert.
San Diego County, which has more tribes – 18 – than any other county in the nation, warned that the legislation would authorize gambling expansion under agreements that provided little leverage to force tribes to accept responsibility for off-reservation impacts of their casinos.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a position but is expected to veto the legislation. The Republican governor has required tribes to pay more to the state and accept stronger environmental, employee and patron protections in compacts he has negotiated.
The 1999 agreements contained many ambiguous provisions, including a convoluted formula to determine the number of slots permitted statewide.
The compacts guaranteed each tribe at least 350 slots, with up to 2,000 if enough were available from a pool constrained by the statewide cap. The California Gambling Control Commission later determined that the 1999 compacts authorized nearly 60,000 slots. Newer compacts negotiated by Schwarzenegger, however, granted unlimited machines.
Rincon and San Pasqual drew licenses to operate 2,000 slots each, but both gave up hundreds of slots to cut expenses when initial demand was less than expected. Rincon can operate 1,600 slots, and San Pasqual can have up to 1,500.
Additional traffic associated with expansions that the bill would permit at Rincon and San Pasqual would cost $8 million to $10 million to mitigate, the county estimated.
And that could be a fraction of the costs associated with impacts elsewhere if other tribes, such as Jamul and Campo, built new casinos or expanded under their 1999 compacts, said Cathy Christian, a county lobbyist.
Rincon Vice Chairman Bo Mazzetti said through a spokeswoman that his tribe has demonstrated its willingness to negotiate with the county on road improvements, law enforcement and other matters.
County officials acknowledged that Rincon and San Pasqual agreed several years ago to pay $7 million and $6 million, respectively, for road work to help serve their existing casinos.
Background: Gambling compacts negotiated in 1999 guaranteed each tribe at least 350 slot machines, with up to 2,000 if enough are available under a statewide cap of 60,000.
What's changing: The state Senate passed a bill allowing all tribes up to 2,000 slots, regardless of the cap.
The future: As the bill moves to the Assembly, San Diego County voices concern that the measure does not give local governments leverage to force tribes to address impacts from expanded casinos.
Everyone’s against gambling...until there’s irrecoverable budget deficit.
• Since Arnold lifted the statewide cap on slot machines a few years ago, and since Propositions 94-97 passed in the last election increasing the individual limit to 2000, we were already destined to see a huge increase in gaming. But, this seems to undermine Schwarzenegger's selective awarding of goodies to his preferred tribes by leveling the playing field. The story that he is demanding increased "contribution" amounts from those tribes is just bunk, IMO. When you look in detail, it was peanuts.• McCain authored the ICRA, enabling tribal gambling accross the country. At the same time, he authored McCain-Feingold that put exempted the tribes from any of the limitations that the rest of the country had to follow, significantly enhancing their power to influence elections and, therefore, our future.
• My prediction: On the landscape a few decades from now will be a huge increase in hotels, department stores, markets, etc.... all run on Indian reservations. As non-Indian businesses continue to be strangled by environmental regulations and union demands, front-men will be used to establish and run these businesses under the veil of "sovereignty."
• Our government "representatives" are either idiots or crooks.
• I'm always skeptical when I see anything coming out of Sacramento referred to as "bipartisan."
MEASURE: SB 1201
AUTHOR: Battin
TOPIC: Tribal gaming: gaming device licenses.
DATE: 05/22/2008
LOCATION: SEN. FLOOR
MOTION: Senate 3rd Reading SB1201 Battin
(AYES 25. NOES 5.) (PASS)
AYES
Aanestad Ackerman Alquist Battin
Calderon Cedillo Cogdill Correa
Denham Ducheny Dutton Harman
Hollingsworth Lowenthal Maldonado Margett
McClintock Negrete McLeod Oropeza Padilla
Perata Steinberg Torlakson Wyland
Yee
NOES
Cox Kuehl Migden Scott
Wiggins
ABSENT, ABSTAINING, OR NOT VOTING
Ashburn Corbett Florez Kehoe
Machado Ridley-Thomas Romero Runner
Simitian Vincent
Arnold S. had negotiated some new contracts in past years with Indian tribes, which increased revenue to the state, to plug the hole in the state budget. Now the state has gone into the red again and tough budget cuts and possible tax increases are ahead. It’s fine for the state to get some share of gambling but it seems just increasing the number of slot machines will not be enough.
Correction: G, not C.
IGRA, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
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