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California Official Wants Casino Development Halted

CALIFORNIA – As reported by the Sacramento Bee: "Frank Egger is standing beside a map of the Bay Area and the Highway 101 corridor to the north, pointing out circles he's drawn around a half-dozen existing Indian casinos.

"Egger, a councilman in this tiny Marin County town, isn't happy with what he sees and is even more unhappy about what he foresees: At least five more casinos, potentially, including one each in Oakland, San Pablo and Rohnert Park, and two in Richmond.

"…So Egger has embarked on what some may call a quixotic venture to draft a statewide ballot measure that would temporarily halt casino development and establish a more powerful state gambling commission.

"Egger has enlisted the conceptual support of several local politicians from the Bay Area and hopes to file the proposed constitutional amendment with the state attorney general next month, a required step before he can begin collecting signatures.

"But not all Bay Area politicians are so upset about the prospect of more casinos.

"In cash-strapped Richmond, officials are eyeing the $51 million the city is to get from casino developers over 15 years, along with thousands of new jobs.

"Next door in San Pablo, city officials claim the city's finances would be devastated if a moratorium took hold and the Lytton tribe ceased its payments - about $2.6 million a year since 2002.

"…Egger's proposal would halt the development process for any planned Indian casino that, as of last month, had not already won all government approvals…"

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