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.

Casino location needs closer look
5/24/2008, Fresno Bee- Editorial
The mega-casino proposed for Highway 99 in Madera County is the wrong place for such a huge enterprise, and the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians should be looking at other locations. One of them is the Old Mill site in North Fork, and it now appears the federal government will require a closer examination of that location.  

 
Plymouth torn over casino proposal5/22/2008, Stockton Record Net
PLYMOUTH - This tiny town just 47 miles from Stockton is bitterly divided over an Indian tribe's plans to build a casino with 2,000 slot machines, and many residents don't trust the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to properly study how the casino would affect everything from traffic and air pollution to crime and schools, they said at a hearing Wednesday night. A number also accused the BIA of making it difficult for residents to even get a copy of the draft environmental impact statement on the proposed casino that was the subject of Wednesday's hearing and complained that it cost a steep $175 for people wanting to obtain a paper copy of the document.
Slot Machine Expansion and State Regulators Step Up:
 
Senate approves casino measure opposed in S.D.5/23/2008, North County Times SACRAMENTO - A bipartisan measure that authorizes a large group of California Indian tribes to operate up to 2,000 slot machines each sailed out of the state Senate yesterday despite late opposition from San Diego County. The legislation would redefine terms of 61 compacts negotiated in 1999 to grant each of the tribes up to 2,000 slot machines. That includes local tribes such as Rincon, San Pasqual and Jamul, which are itching to expand or build new casinos.

Gambling commission poised to assert authority5/23/2008, North County Times
California Indian tribes and the state's Gambling Control Commission could be headed for a legal fight on whether the state can impose basic regulatory measures on the multibillion-dollar tribal casino industry. The eight-year-old state Gambling Control Commission oversees tribal gambling in California, including inspecting slot machines and vetting key casino workers. But it has yet to examine how far its authority can reach.
 
 New Card Club:

Card room revenue studied
5/22/2008, THE SALINAS CALIFORNIAN
After tentatively approving uncapped wagers at a proposed card room in Oldtown Salinas on Tuesday, the City Council now must address how much money should be in the cards for city coffers. The City Council on Tuesday directed city staff to look into a $1,500 per table annual fee for the card room. 
 
Salinas inviting trouble with card room5/25/2008, The Monterey County Herald
Members of the Salinas City Council say they are being so accommodating to the planned Banker's Casino card room because they want to show that Salinas is "business friendly." Unless they work harder to prevent the types of problems that orbit around many card rooms, they're being just as friendly to businesses such as fencing, loan sharking, prostitution and drug dealing. 
 
Machine Scandal:

 YEE REQUESTS STATE AUDIT OF HORSE RACING SCANDAL, PROBE OF LOTTERY SYSTEM 5/22/2008, California Political Desk
SACRAMENTO - As a result of a recently uncovered controversy regarding wager systems at horse racing tracks across the state and nation, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) requested the State Auditor to investigate and determine the cost to California consumers and taxpayers.
California probes whether wagering machine glitch was kept quiet5/21/2008, Contra Costa Times - MediaNews
A probe into a mysterious software glitch that affected some 7,000 horse race wagering machines around the country is focusing on how long the machines' producer knew about the problem without alerting the public. In a leaked e-mail dated May 15, a top California horse racing official suggests New York-based gaming vendor Scientific Games may have kept quiet about the malfunction for months.
 
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Upcoming Hearings

Comments Due: 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

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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. Bill has been pulled.

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. Bill passes the Senate.
SCA 20 -Sen.  Vincent - Constitutional Amendment authorizes Roulette and Craps on California Indian lands for compact tribes.

 

Federal Legislation to Watch 

H. R. 2963 - Congressman Issa Transfers without regulatory environmental process 1,178 ac. in Riverside and San Diego Counties to the Pechanga Band.  Why?
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.
H. R. 5680 Congressman Grijalva - A bill to extend leases for Morongo and transfer money to CRIT.
S. 2676 - Senator Vitter - Common Sense Indian Gambling Reform Act of 2008. To make technical corrections to IGRA. Consultation with local government.
 

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