There are clear signs that the next two weeks will see an
escalation in the debate over whether a casino should be built in
San Benito County as the board of supervisors prepares to vote on a
resolution opposing the Miwok gaming project.
Hollister – There are clear signs that the next two weeks will see an escalation in the debate over whether a casino should be built in San Benito County as the board of supervisors prepares to vote on a resolution opposing the Miwok gaming project.
On Feb. 1, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to draft a resolution opposing the casino after four of the five supervisors announced their own opposition. The board will hold a final public meeting to gather locals’ comments on Feb. 15, one week before it votes on the resolution.
The tribe and its investors aren’t wasting any time rounding up supporters. They have run full-page advertisements in the local media saying the board didn’t wait for economic, environmental, or architectural studies to be released. They are also advertising a toll-free hotline, asking residents who disagree with the board to speak their minds. And they have begun a phone poll asking residents about whether they want to see a casino.
“We will be doing everything we can over the next two weeks to persuade the San Benito County Board of Supervisors not to make a hasty and uninformed decision,” California Valley Miwok Project Manager Gary Ramos wrote in an e-mail Friday. “We have not submitted an application. There is no project before the board awaiting a decision. Why in the world would they want to oppose something before they have the facts?”
The tribe and its investors now count the Santa Clara and San Benito Counties Building & Construction Trades Council among its supporters. The council, which includes 26 laborers’ unions, recently sent a letter to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors urging them to look at the possible financial benefits a casino could bring.
“We understand that not everyone is supportive of gambling in their community, however we believe one needs to understand that if managed properly, a venue of this type can bring significant benefit to those that live in the community,” the letter states.
Council CEO Neil Struthers couldn’t be reached for comment Friday, but the investors saw the endorsement as a clear indication their project would benefit the local economy.
“The council’s endorsement is another example of the growing recognition of how important this project is for the future of San Benito County,” said Ramos in a statement. “The destination resort and casino will be a huge economic boost for the area and will bring thousands of new jobs for working families right here in San Benito.”
The five-member California Valley Miwok tribe has set its sights on a 200-acre parcel of land off San Felipe Road across from the Hollister Airport in hopes of building a casino/resort. The facility could be similar in size to Yolo County’s Cache Creek casino, which is 66,000 square-feet with 1,762 slot machines. The tribe would eventually like to add on a hotel and entertainment venues.
Gov. Schwarzenegger has said he will not negotiate gaming compacts with tribes outside of their indigenous area without overwhelming support from the locals. The Miwoks have yet to prove they have ancestral ties to San Benito County, although Ramos said earlier this week they intend to prove them. If for some reason they can’t, the governor would want to see local support before negotiating a compact, according to Vince Sollitto, a deputy press secretary for Schwarzenegger.
On Thursday, local anti-casino group Casinos Represent A Poor Solution sent eight representatives to Sacramento, where they met with the governor’s Legal Affairs Secretary Peter Siggins, State Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, and Assemblyman Simon Salinas, D-Salinas. CRAPS presented the legislators with 5,000 signatures they had gathered in opposition to the casino, as well as a recent Farm Bureau poll finding 66 percent of voters were opposed to a casino at its previously proposed location off Highway 25 near the Santa Clara County line. The location has since been changed, but the Farm Bureau has no plans to re-conduct the survey.
The Miwoks and their investors from Game Won, however, are conducting their own survey of San Benito County residents in both English and Spanish. Tribe Spokeswoman Nicole Ratcliff said she couldn’t provide any further details on the poll.
Dist. 1 Supervisor Don Marcus said he was surprised by the tribe’s recent accusations towards the board and believed he and the rest of the supervisors had made the right decision.
“I’m disappointed to hear that the promoters of this casino project feel that we didn’t give it the proper consideration, because we had plenty of time to hear from them and I feel they could have brought more information forward,” he said.
But Dist. 5 Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz said Friday he had already heard from numerous constituents opposed to the board’s unanimous vote for a resolution.
“I’ve already been contacted by people telling me they want a casino, and they said they’d be showing up in numbers on the 15th,” De La Cruz said.
The four other supervisors though said Friday they had heard mostly positive reinforcement of their actions rather than denouncement from disappointed constituents.
“The support from the community has been overwhelming,” Marcus said. “I’ve received many letters and calls from people who were proud of our decision and have let it be known to us that they support our decision.”
Dist. 2 Supervisor Anthony Botelho, who has openly opposed the casino for months, said his situation was similar to Marcus’.
“I haven’t had any comments from people that said I should have voted the other way; I just keep getting comments from people who oppose the casino,” he said.
Supervisor Pat Loe agreed, saying she had gotten a few e-mails since Feb. 1, but all had been in support of the board’s decision.
“I haven’t had anyone contact me from the other camp yet,” she said.
The supervisors have scheduled a nighttime meeting on Feb. 15 in hopes of drawing residents who may not have been able to attend previous meetings on weekday afternoons. When the board announced its decision to hold the public meeting, the supervisors added they hoped locals supporting the casino would be part of the turn-out.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Reb Monaco also said he’d heard from locals who didn’t agree with the board’s Feb. 1 decision, but didn’t think they were as staunch in their advocacy as those who contacted De La Cruz.
“I think they’ve been more in the line of, ‘Well, I’ll respect your decision because I don’t fully understand the whole issue, but I would have liked to see a casino in the area,'” Monaco said.
The public meeting will be held at 7pm on Feb. 15 in the Veterans building in Hollister.
“We’ll be at the forum, and we’ll give everyone a chance to make a position,” said Marcus.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at jq*****@fr***********.com.
