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Soccer Mom Wages War Against Casinos

CALIFORNIA – As reported by the LA Times: "She never saw it coming, Cheryl Schmit says; never figured life would take this turn.

"Schmit happily defined herself as a wife and mother, shuttling her sons to soccer practice and school, watching over the family's pastoral two acres in this foothill hamlet up the interstate from Sacramento.

"But one day in 1996 an Indian tribe proposed a casino not a mile from her home. Fearing that it would smother community character, Schmit joined other residents to battle the tribe, which eventually abandoned Penryn for an industrial park on the other side of the county.

"…With tribal casinos sprouting around the state, her telephone wouldn't stop ringing. One fearful community after another needed advice. Schmit, who rose fast in the anti-gambling ranks, had answers.

"…Now this accidental activist has fashioned a full-time career as California's go-to Indian casino fighter, a one-woman whirlwind buffeting the state's powerful, $5-billion tribal gambling industry.

"Schmit's war room is the bedroom that has been turned into an office for her nonprofit, Stand Up for California.

"…In Schmit's lexicon, `fundamentalist tribal leaders' armed with an antique notion of sovereignty and huge gambling profits are wielding undue influence in Sacramento, pouring $130 million into campaigns in the last half-dozen years — including $10 million in the recent recall election. Their ultimate goal, Schmit warns, is to seize control of California public policy and retake lands lost more than a century ago.

"…Many tribal leaders scoff at Schmit's soccer-mom persona, saying it masks conflicts of interest. As she fights tribal gaming, they note, Schmit also works as a paid consultant for another arm of the gambling world — several Southland cities with card clubs hurt by the proliferation of Indian casinos. She has past ties with other tribal foes, including Nevada gambling interests and a labor union angling to organize reservation casino workers.

"…Schmit too often advocates a quick bargain with a tribe instead of a brawl, said Barbara Lindsay of United Property Owners, a Washington state group that frequently jousts with casino tribes around the country. `Let's make a deal is her middle name.'

"But others contend that Schmit is simply pragmatic, accepting that some casino tribes prove to be good neighbors and some don't. Fred Jones, an attorney with the California Coalition Against Gambling Expansion and a Schmit admirer, said she applies an old notion when dealing with a tribe: Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

"…Since 2001, she has moonlighted as a $4,500-a-month consultant for a former state lawmaker hired by a coalition of Los Angeles County cities with card clubs losing business to tribal casinos.

"Her union connection dates from the 1998 initiative fight over Indian casinos. Stand Up for California collected a $10,000 donation from the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, which feared the tribes would shut out organized labor. She remains friendly with the union's state political director, Jack Gribbon.

"…The same year, she stepped down from her nonprofit for a month and collected $20,000 to fight the casino ballot measure for a political action group backed by Nevada gambling interests.

"Gary Koval, an attorney for the Twentynine Palms Band of Mission Indians, said `the prevailing feeling around Indian Country is that she's a racist, masquerading as this citizen activist while running around on trips funded by the card clubs and unions.'

"…Another frequent allegation is that Schmit has a secret alliance with Howard Dickstein, a prominent attorney who represents several Northern California Indian tribes. Tribes represented by Dickstein have angered some peers by forging revenue-sharing pacts with local municipalities, including a $100-million deal Yolo County struck last year with a wealthy casino tribe…"

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