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Schwarzenegger Opposes San Diego Casino

SACRAMENTO, California – As reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune: "In what could be a significant turning point, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has joined the fight against a controversial Indian casino planned for the rural east San Diego County community of Jamul.

"Schwarzenegger quietly weighed in earlier this month with a letter opposing the tribe's application to convert 101 acres to a special federal status that would pave the way for development of a large casino resort.

"…Former Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, similarly urged federal officials to reject the tribe's bid to annex the land, but Schwarzenegger's appeal is expected to carry much greater weight with fellow Republicans in the Bush administration.

"…The Jamul band has a gaming agreement, or compact, that entitles the tribe to a casino with at least 350 and as many as 2,000 slot machines.

"The 53-member tribe has been pushing to build a 2,000-slot casino with a 300-room hotel. However, under federal law, the casino must be confined to Jamul's tiny six-acre reservation 25 miles east of San Diego.

"To accommodate a larger project, the tribe and its financial backers acquired 101 acres adjacent to the reservation and asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to take the land into trust for the tribe. That would remove it from the county's land-use controls, which would not permit a casino resort at the site…"

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