Morongo Hardball Tactics Backfiring?

The Riverside County-based Morongo Band of Mission Indians $20 million campaign to convince the Assembly to pass a revised gambling contract may be hardening the opposition.

Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, said the hardball tactics aren't setting well with the caucus. "I think it's backfiring right now," Maviglio said. "They really don't like the tactics being used. The caucus is really united."

Historically, the Assembly has been friendlier to unions and labor doesn't like these new compacts because they lack a provision that would make it easier for Indian casino workers to unionize, a provision a previous round of contracts included. But the compacts can only be negotiated between a governor and a tribe, and thus the Assembly cannot change the terms of the compacts. They can only vote up or down on the deal.

Labor has traditionally donated large sums to the Democrats, but the Indians now have the wealth to perhaps influence lawmakers to see things their way. I guess it boils down to who’s for sale and who isn’t.

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