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San Pablo Officials Unsure of New Plans

CALIFORNIA – As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle: "San Pablo officials on Monday pondered life without the slot-machine casino that they had hoped would reshape their town, while the battle over the issue shifted to Washington D.C., as Sen. Dianne Feinstein cautioned that the Indian tribe behind the plan 'holds out hope' for large-scale gaming in the city.

"The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians, which announced Friday that it would install video bingo machines at its 9-acre cardroom, Casino San Pablo, while the casino deal with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger remained stalled in the state Legislature, 'has not abandoned pursuing a compact that would sidestep the normal federal regulatory process,' Feinstein said in a statement.

"…The Lyttons gained the right to negotiate a gaming deal with the state in 2000 as a result of a rare, controversial act of Congress written by Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez. A bill by Feinstein -- set for an April 5 congressional hearing -- would mandate that the Lyttons follow a process commonly used by casino-seeking tribes and could ultimately result in the Lyttons' being turned down.

"…Friday's announcement left San Pablo city and Contra Costa County officials unsure of the impact of the tribes' new plans. In the stalled deal with Schwarzenegger, the Lytton band had offered 25 percent of its net casino winnings to the city, county and state, and had obliged itself to address traffic concerns by pledging millions to Caltrans to build a new off-ramp from Interstate 80…"

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