Pala Antes Up $2.5 Million More To Oppose New Compacts

Yesterday the Pala Band of Mission Indians donated $2.5 million to oppose rival tribes' casino expansion compacts on the Feb. 5 ballot.

The tribe, which operates a casino near San Diego, had previously given $500,000 to gather signatures for the four referendums to challenge the compacts, but had not promised to financially back the campaign itself.

Back in in August, tribal attorney Howard Dickstein, who represents Pala and a second tribe which gave $500,000 for signature gathering, the United Auburn Indian Community, told The Bee, "What they have decided is to provide financial support for the signature gathering. If and when it qualifies for the ballot, they will have a fresh look at what, if any, participation they will have in the campaign."

Now it’s clear that Pala, which runs the Pala Casino Spa & Resort, is backing the effort to overturn the compacts, at least to the initial tune of $2.5 million.

The last time the Pala tribe donated to the referendum effort, a similar sized check was sent by the United Auburn tribe within two weeks.

Al Lundeen, a spokesman for the referendum effort, wouldn’t comment if more money was on the way from United Auburn, saying that revealing the campaign’s finances “would give our strategy away.”

As for the $2.5 million, he said, “We’ve felt all along we would be running a campaign until Election Day and this gives us a better opportunity to do that.”

Beside Pala and United Auburn, most of the funding for the referendum campaign, which is urging a ‘no’ vote on Propositions 94, 95, 96 and 97, has come from the Bay Meadows and Hollywood Park horse racing tracks. Another $1 million came from Unite HERE, a hotel and restaurant workers union, which wants better access to organize casino workers.

All told those groups have reported raising $8.7 million, though much of the money was spent qualifying the referendums for the ballot.

The four tribes seeking to defend their amended compacts have chipped in $34.4 million and have spent money airing ads on television.

"Pala has unlimited slot machines in its compact,” said Roger Salazar, a spokesman the tribes supporting the compacts. “They are using this money to stop competition without any regard for what it can do to the state’s budget.”

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