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Stand Up for California! is a statewide organization with a focus on gambling issues including tribal gaming, card clubs, horse racing, charitable gaming and the state lottery. | |
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Crackdown on bingo machines worries East Bay charities
5/10/2008, Contra Costa Times
East Bay charities that operate electronic gaming machines to lift their bingo parlor profits fear a sudden state crackdown this week on some games in Sacramento could spread - and slash a major source of nonprofit revenue. The state Department of Justice for years had done little to enforce laws over what it considers illegal bingo machines that in some cases mimic slots - which only Indian tribes can legally operate on tribal land in California. State Attorney General Jerry Brown issued an opinion on electronic bingo in August, but some charity officials called it vague. With no enforcement, few stopped using the machines.
Crackdown on electronic bingo begins5/10/2008, San Diego Union Tribune SACRAMENTO - More than 20 years after the state first warned that electronic bingo games are illegal, Attorney General Jerry Brown has launched a crackdown to halt a proliferation of the machines. State agents notified seven bingo parlors in Sacramento and adjoining suburbs, as well as one in Whittier, that they have 30 days to clear out the devices that mimic slot machines or the machines may be confiscated and destroyed. More locations will be notified in coming days. | |
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Five deputies fire in gun battle that killed Soboba tribal member
5/9/2008, The Press-Enterprise
SOBOBA INDIAN RESERVATION - Five Riverside County sheriff's deputies fired their weapons during a gun battle that ended early Thursday with the death of a 26-year-old San Jacinto man who investigators say was armed with an assault rifle, said Sgt. Dean Spivacke. Spivacke said the deputies were part of two groups of officers fired at before Eli Morillo was shot multiple times near Poppet Flats Road off Soboba Road. The gunfire occurred in a remote area of the reservation east of San Jacinto.
Details emerge in Soboba shooting
5/9/2008, The Press Enterprise
SOBOBA INDIAN RESERVATION - Five sheriff's deputies fired their weapons during a gun battle that ended with the death of a 26-year-old San Jacinto man who investigators say was armed with an assault rifle, said Sgt. Dean Spivacke. The deputies were part of two groups of officers who were fired upon before Eli Morillo was shot multiple times near Poppet Flats Road, Spivacke said. The gunfire took place in a remote area of the reservation east of San Jacinto.
Soboba tribal leaders want review of sheriff's policies following fatal shooting5/10/2008, The Desert Sun The sheriff's office today released a few more details about the incident late Wednesday night, when two groups of deputies exchanged multiple gunshots with three persons firing from two different directions, using what deputies described as assault rifles. Eli Morillo, 26, of San Jacinto, was pronounced dead at 1:08 a.m. Thursday on the Soboba Indian Reservation, sheriff-coroner's officials said. That would be almost one hour after gunfire was first reported in canyons east of the tribe's casino near San Jacinto, 24 miles southeast of Riverside.
Federal Judge Rules in Favor of Rincon Band in North County
5/12/2008, San Diego Business Journal
The state of California asked for too much in exchange for allowing an American Indian tribe expand its slot machine count at its North San Diego County casino, a federal judge ruled in late April. The Rincon Band of Luiseņo Indians, which owns a casino-resort operated by Harrah's Entertainment Inc., wants to expand the number of slot machines from 1,600 to 2,500. Yet negotiations between Rincon and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office have gone on for years without producing a deal acceptable to the tribe. (note: see next news story - who does this litigation help, Rincon or Harrah's?)
Gambling giant Harrah's Entertainment posts Q1 loss
5/10/2008,
Harrah's Entertainment, the world's biggest gambling company (by revenue) posted a loss for the first quarter of 2008. Casino operator Harrah's Entertainment Inc. reported first quarter net loss of $187.8 million, compared to profit of $185.3 million in the Q1 of 2007. The gambling giant says costs associated with a deal to take it private and "challenging economic conditions" are the top reasons for the negative numbers so far this year. Included in the Q1 loss are $211.3 million in pretax charges for retiring debt and $142.6 million in nonrecurring costs related to its acquisition by affiliates of Apollo Global Management LLC and TPG Capital LP.
Sycuan: From New York to California, Indian tribes buying up land
5/10/2008, Scripps News
Her face black with soot, Victoria Ranua strides across a Minnesota hillside, painting it with fire. What begins as a low thin strip of yellow, ignited by her torch, leaps behind her at once into a huge hedge of dancing flames, racing across dry prairie grasses. The process, Ranua said, helps the native plants survive against invasive species.
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Upcoming Hearings
Public Hearing: Off Reservation 228.04 acre trust acquisition and construction of casino project to be located within the City of Plymouth in Amador County, California.Mail comments to Amy Dutschke, acting Regional Director, Pacific Regional Office, BIA, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA. 92825. Written comments will be accepted through July 2, 2008,
Upcoming Conference
North American Regulators Association June 10-13, 2008 Register on Line: www.nagra.org
NCLGS - National Council of Legislators from Gaming States
Summer Meeting - June 13 -15, 2008 Napa Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa Napa, California. www.nclgs.org sign up online.
Presentations will include: bingo and charitable gaming, lottery, off reservation gaming
22nd National Conference on Problem Gambling. June 26-28, 2008, Long Beach, California. Register online:www.ncpgambling.org/conference
INDIAN COUNTRY'S WINNING HAND, October 16-17, 2008, Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino Scottsdale/Fountian Hills, Arizona. Register online: www.law.asu.edu/ilp
LINKS and Legislation
Stand Up For California - Library
Stand Up For California - Helpful Links
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State Legislation to Watch
AJR 39 - Assembly Member Huffman
Reaffirmation of the Winneman Wintu.
AB 1924 - Assembly Member Jeffries Changes the amount of charitable BINGO funds that may be used for overhead and other operational expenses.
AB 2026 - Assembly Member Levine -
The California Gambling Control in conjunction with the Department of Justice, shall perform a study and report its findings to the legislature by June 30, 2009, regarding authorizing interstate Internet Poker.
SB 62 - Sen. Florez - Permits the transfer of funds from the General Fund to the Revenue Sharing Trust Fund for eligible recipient tribes should there be insufficient funds in the Special Distribution Fund.
SB 331 -Sen. Romero - Imposes a state mandated local program to address tresspassers on tribal lands
SB 996 Sen. Florez - This bill would require each tribal state gaming compact entered into between the State of California and a federally recognized Indian Tribe to be ratified by the Legislature in Separate Statute.
SB 1201 - Sen. Battin Increases the aggregate limit of gaming devices licenses available for issuance under the 1999 compacts to 122,000 slot machines without tribal state compact renegotiations. Veto Bait.
SB 1328 - Sen. Cedillo - deletes the $250 limitation on bingo game payouts, thereby allows for an award of any denomination. BILL HAS BEEN PULLED
SB - 1570 - Sen. Vincent - Requires the Governor to use best efforts to ensure that satellite wagering on horese racing is one of the forms of gaming offered at any gambling facility authorized under a compact. SB 1626 - Sen. Steinberg -Game of Bingo to be played by machine with electronic cards. Slot machines? BILL HAS BEEN PULLED SB 1679 - Sen. Florez - Lottery Reform Bill: requiresthat not less than 87% of revenues be used for prizes and to benefit education, 13% for lottery expenses. Total revenue to education will be decided by the Commission but not less than 1,200,000,000. Requires 1 million to be committed to the Office of Problem and Pathological gambling. Defines, expands and loosens restrictions of lottery game themes.
SB 1695 - Sen. Florez - Prohibits the Governor from negotiating or concluding a gaming compact with a tribe that does not have land held in trust on which the gaming is to occur and that is not federally recognized.
SCA 20 -Sen. Vincent - Constitutional Amendment authorizes Roulette and Craps on California Indian lands for compact tribes.
Federal Legislation to Watch
H.R. 3490 - Congressman Radanovich
Declares that specificed federal lands are to be held in trust by the US for the benefit of the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuik Indians for non gaming purposes.
H.R. 5608 Congressman Rahall - mandates that adminstration directly consults with tribes on policies that directly affect their lives.
S. 2676 - Senator Vitter - Common Sense Indian Gambling Reform Act of 2008. To make technical corrections to IGRA. Consultation with local government.
http://thomas.loc.gov/
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