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East Bay Casinos Debate in Spotlight

SACRAMENTO, California – As reported by the Contra Costa Times: "The East Bay took center stage Monday in a brewing political debate over American Indian tribes pushing for casinos in prime gambling markets, and whether local communities should have the power to stop them.

"Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, chairman of the House Resources Committee, drew a packed crowd near the state Capitol for a field hearing on his bill to change the 17-year-old federal law that laid the foundation for a vast expansion of Indian gaming.

"The controversial draft bill would grant a local jurisdiction veto power over tribes seeking 'off-reservation' land for gaming. It also would create two 'Indian Economic Opportunity Zones' in each state, where tribes could cluster casinos.

"Pombo's move to change the law, if not the bill's specifics, has won support from established casino tribes as well as opponents of gambling expansion. But critics fear a hornet's nest once Congress begins to tamper with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act…"

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