Opponents of Gaming Expansion - “It’s Done”

Debra Gruszecki and Jake Henshaw • The Desert Sun • February 7, 2008

Following a nearly 12-point margin of defeat at the polls, the "No on Unfair Gaming Deals" coalition said Wednesday that no lawsuit will be filed to try to block 17,000 new slots for four California tribes.

"It's done," Scott Macdonald said. "I don't think there are any options."

Macdonald worked to rally voters to reject revised compacts for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.

"It would be almost impossible to bring a case," agreed Cheryl Schmit of StandUp California, who was paid to assist in the referenda petition drive and has lobbied for worker protections in the fight.

With 98 percent of the state's precincts counted and 3.8 million ballots cast for each referenda, 55.8 percent supported the compacts.

All but 16 counties backed the deals that will also help provide money toward the state's $14.5 billion budget deficit.

"It started out bad, and never got much better," Macdonald said.

When Los Angeles and San Diego counties had heavy voter turnout and a large plurality of support, Macdonald said the opposition forces that included the United Auburn Indian Community and Pala Band of Mission Indians, Unite HERE, and two California horse racing tracks got their first inkling of defeat.

The vote spread was too large to narrow, even in the largely Democratic union strongholds in the San Francisco Bay Area and rural Northern California sectors.

"It's hard to counteract that sort of strong, positive effect in the large counties," said Macdonald, a paid consultant in the $140 million campaign, largely fueled with roughly $100 million from the four tribes.

The Agua Caliente and Morongo plan to place nearly 800 machines in their casinos within the month. The Pechanga are taking steps to re-configure as many as 1,400 bingo machines into licensed slot machines and transition them incrementally into Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula within a few months.

"Tribal leaders are focused on protecting the agreement" that calls for gaming revenues to flow to the General Fund, said Jacob Mejia, public affairs officer for the Pechanga.

Bob Stern, director of the Center for Governmental Studies, Los Angeles, said voters will count on that.

"I thought there was a chance of it going down, but it didn't for a few reasons," he said. "First, the governor supported it. Two, it was (free) money to the state."
Dollar-for-dollar, tribes outspent the opposition four to one, but Stern said the No side had plenty of money to get its message out.

"Clearly, the votes don't indicate a backlash," he said, and reflect acceptance of the tribal casino operations or the idea of gaming.

This absolutely will be a template for more agreements, he said.

"The state desperately needs the money - even if it's $100 million a year" per tribe, he said, predicting more tribes will be involved in negotiations with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But the day after four new compacts passed, Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, D-Fremont, warned the governor against modeling future compacts on them.

"I just don't want the governor to think these are model compacts, that he has a blueprint for success," Torrico said. "It's just the opposite."

The governor should work to avoid the conflicts over labor, audits, horse racing and other issues that contributed to the conflicts leading to the ballot fight, he said.

The governor has to take a broader approach, he said. "It shouldn't be all about augmenting the General Fund."

Jack Gribbon of Unite HERE said organized labor will stay in the trenches.
This was one battle in the ongoing union movement, Gribbon said, noting that organized labor will continue to analyze any future compacts in terms of collective-bargaining provisions.

"One thing is certain. This is far from over, as now we must find a way to live with the results of the election," Schmit said.:

http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080207/NEWS06/802070328/-1/newsfront

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CNIGA Grateful to Voters for Supporting Props 94-97

Press Release- Source: California Nations Indian Gaming Association
Wednesday February 6, 2:17 pm ET

The member tribes of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) are pleased that voters once again stood with California's tribal governments and supported Propositions 94-97.

"We are extremely grateful that voters rejected this effort by outside third parties who have their own financial and political agendas," said Anthony Miranda, chair of the association. "Props 94-97 were a direct assault on the sovereign right of all tribal governments throughout the country to negotiate gaming compacts on a government-to-government basis as outlined in federal law."

At its August, 2007 membership meeting the association voted unanimously to support Props 94-97. While it is CNIGA policy not to get involved in individual compacts or negotiations, the organization took a position on this matter because the compacts were already approved by the governor, the legislature, and the tribes involved. Overturning compacts that have gone through the appropriate process would have grave consequences for all tribes.

"CNIGA is eager to put this latest attack behind us and for tribes to continue on the road to self-reliance. We hope that all tribes, gaming and non-gaming, are able to economically diversify their economies through gaming and to negotiate compacts the way IGRA intended -- in a respectful government-to-government environment," Miranda said.