Members of local anti-casino group Casinos Represent A Poor
Solution presented state law-makers with almost 5,000 signatures
protesting a casino in San Benito County Thursday in hopes of
showing the governor a lack of local support for the proposed
project.
Sacramento – Members of local anti-casino group Casinos Represent A Poor Solution presented state law-makers with almost 5,000 signatures protesting a casino in San Benito County Thursday in hopes of showing the governor a lack of local support for the proposed project.
On the same day, the Miwoks began a media campaign protesting the San Benito County Board of Supervisors’ opposition to the project, and announced plans to conduct a poll of San Benito County residents. The poll will be conducted in English and Spanish “because that is the make-up of the community,” and the tribe hopes to “find out what residents want the project to look like and what benefits and services are important to the community at large,” according to a press release. Miwok Spokeswoman Nicole Ratcliff did not return phone calls to elaborate on poll details Thursday.
The increase in activity by both sides came just two days after four of the five members of the Board of Supervisors publicly announced their opposition to the casino and voted unanimously to compose a resolution stating as much. Supervisors plan to vote on the resolution later this month.
CRAPS’s group of eight representatives in Sacramento yesterday were accompanied by anti-casino group Stand Up for California founder Cheryl Schmit, and had a very productive day, according to CRAPS member Mike Walters. The group met with State Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, Assemblyman Simon Salinas, D-Salinas, and Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Legal Affairs Secretary Peter Siggins and several other legislators, according to CRAPS Chairman Steve Merrell.
“Peter Siggins is definitely the governor’s right-hand-man; he’s the person the governor looks to on issues of Indian gaming,” said Merrell, who was unable to make the trip due to a recent operation. “We’re obviously interested in what we find out in Sacramento.”
CRAPS has been circulating its petition throughout San Benito County since late November in protest of a proposed California Valley Miwok casino in Hollister. The five-member tribe is looking to set up a casino on about 200 acres of property off San Felipe Road across from the Hollister Airport. The casino could be similar in size to the Cache Creek casino in Yolo County, which is 66,000 square feet with 1,762 slot machines.
California Valley Miwok Project Manage Gary Ramos has said the casino would bring as many as 2,000 jobs to the area and could give a large influx of money to local governments.
In addition to the petition, Merrell said, the CRAPS representatives will also be showing the legislators the results of a recent Farm Bureau poll of 400 San Benito County voters. The poll found 66 percent of voters polled opposed a casino in its previously proposed location off Highway 25 near the Santa Clara County line. Since the survey was conducted, the proposed location of the casino has been changed, but the Farm Bureau is planning no new polls reflecting the change.
“So far from talking with staff members from Denham and Salinas’ offices, our understanding is that they’re very interested in the petition and very interested in the Farm Bureau survey. They’re very interested in making sure that this project is properly considered as far as the opposition in this community,” Merrell said.
Gov. Schwarzenegger has said that without overwhelming public support, he will not grant gaming compacts to tribes in areas where they cannot trace their ancestral roots. The California Valley Miwoks still have not proven their ties to San Benito County, so CRAPS is hoping its petition will show the governor the support is not here.
“To my understanding this tribe does not have land eligible for gaming, so the governor is not required to negotiate a compact,” Schwarzenegger’s Deputy Press Secretary Vince Sollitto said Thursday. “In cases like this, the governor would want to see strong local support.”
But, “Other than that, the county doesn’t really have much of a role,” according to DeAnn Baker, legislative representative for the California State Association of Counties.
Even if the governor’s office does see a strong local opposition to the casino, it may not be enough to stonewall the project. Schwarzenegger is legally required to negotiate compacts with tribes in their indigenous areas, according to Sollitto. And Ramos said Wednesday the tribe plans to prove its ancestral ties to San Benito County.
But Walters, who attended the meetings in Sacramento yesterday, said he came away from the day feeling optimistic.
“The overall feeling from us when we regrouped afterwards was that we really felt encouraged,” Walters said. “We really felt a lot of interest from the movers and shakers in the state on this project. We gave them substantives and they gave us a lot of hope.”
Walters added the group invited all of the legislators it met with to attend a public meeting the Board of Supervisors will be holding on Feb. 15 to discuss the proposed casino.
“Senator Denham in particular seemed like he might come, so we’re hopeful he might be there,” Walters said.
The Board of Supervisors will hold a final public meeting on the casino on Feb. 15 at 7pm at the Veterans building in Hollister. On Feb. 22, they plan to vote on a resolution opposing the casino.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at [email protected].
