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Home My WebLink AboutA-7 Proposition #5 • f i • • October 13, 1998 To: Mayor, City Co ncilmembers, City Manager, Chief of Police From: Dick Stanford Subj: Proposition 5 Dear Colleagues, As I said at our last council meeting, I wish to recommend that we take a position opposing Proposition 5, the Indian Tribal Compact Proposition. I have put a draft resolution on the agenda (copy attached)for your consideration that would express such opposition. I tend to resist city council involvement in matters outside the city limits. An excep- tion is that if the matter has an potential impact upon the city may exist. That potential impact of Proposition 5 upon us does exist. There are 112 federally recognized tribes with land in California, of which 41 currently conduct gambling opera- tions. Another 42 tribes without land are seeking recognition. These tribes, once recog- nized, may buy land and call it tribal land. Such a purchase of land can occur in Azusa. I have prepared a draft column on this matter which is attached and which provides more information. My research for the column came from the Internet. If you would like more detailed information on this matter, the pertinent sites are: http://www.bad4cal.org http://www.yeson5.org http://Vote98.ss.ca.gov/VoterGuide/Propositions/5.htm The formal organization opposing 5 is the Coalition Against Unregulated Gambling (CAUG). As that organization includes Las Vegas casinos - they are paying for the anti 5 ads - I thougi ,it appropriate that we indicate that we are not a part of CAUG. Lastly, there is attached a listing of some of the entities that oppose 5. Some high- lights of opposers are: Former Attorney General John van de Camp, AFL-CIO entities, Republican and Democratic organizations, United Farm Workers, Environmental groups, business organizations, and law enforcement entities. Regarding the last, I asked Chief Broderick where law enforcement is on this issue. He said that all active law enforcement entities whose position he knew are opposed. The only support has been from retired law enforcement entities. Also important is that the Los Angeles County Association of police chiefs has gone on ecord opposing 5. //06_, ? dAeidir /6 3 A) / 1/ t A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Azusa, California Whereas, the City of Azusa is known as a city of families and of churches; and Whereas,in the General Election to be held November 3, 1998,there is Proposition 5 which provides the basis for massive statewide expansion of casino gambling throughout California, and Whereas, the provisions of Proposition 5 would provide the means for a casino to be built in Azusa with no vote of the citizens, with no adherence to local building and zoning requirements, with no casino employee protections which apply to other California workers, with no means for local law enforcement entities to police crime related to such a casino, and with no payment of local taxes to pay for the cost of local impact of such a casino, and Whereas such a casino would detract from Azusa's place as a city of families and churches. Now therefore be it resolved, that the City Council of the City of Azusa hereby expresses its opposition to Proposition 5. Further, the City Council of the City of Azusa, in taking this position, is not a part of the Coalition Against Unregulated Gambling (CAUG) due to the inclusion of Las Vegas casinos in that organization. We have adopted and caused our names to be affixed to this resolution this Nineteenth Day of October, 1998. Christina Cruz Madrid, Mayor David Hardison, Mayor Pro Tem Diane Beebe, Councilmember Joe Rocha, Councilmember Dick Stanford, Councilmember Draft coumn by Dick Stanford, Opposing Proposition 5 I have to be blunt about this: The gambling czars who have fostered Proposition 5 are attempting to perpetrate a major deception upon the voters of our great state. Proposition 5 is being sold as an "Indian self reliance" measure. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that Prop 5 is a brazen attempt by a very few very wealthy gambling tribes to expand gambling - and their influence on it - throughout our state. WHAT WOULD PROP 5 REALLY DO? If passed, Prop 5 would: • PROVIDE for huge Indian casinos to be opened THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA. • ALLOW Indian tribes to buy land OFF their reservations and open casinos wherever they want in California. • PREVENT a local vote of citizens on whether to authorize or reject these casinos. • PRECLUDE local law enforcement officials from enforcing state laws against gambling crimes in these Indian casinos. • IGNORE virtually all state regulations for these casinos, thus precluding environmental, health, and worker safety rules. • PERMIT these casinos to operate outside our state's tough environmental laws that protect us against air and water pollution. • FREE these casinos from any requirement to pay federal, state, or local taxes on the massive profits these casinos would make. • STOP California authorities from policing casino-related organized crime, from preventing crimes like money laundering, and from ensuring that the gambling is conducted fairly. • GRANT these casinos exemptions from California worker protection laws, from having to pay the state minimum wage, or from even providing workers' compensation insurance to their employees. • LET the Prop 5 promoters vastly EXPAND their casino operations. • MANDATE the terms of a gambling agreement between tribes and California, with NO negotiation, NO compromise, and NO local vote of citizens. I think it is important to emphasize that the citizens of our state are compassionate by nature. We are strongly motivated to help our fellow Californians no matter the culture, ethnicity, or religion. As importantly, we are greatly offended when gambling hustlers attempt to sell us an issue under the guise that it will help a minority when such is not the case. Let us not be fooled by the few who are attempting to tell us that opposing Prop 5 is opposing California's Native Americans. That is just NOT TRUE. The truth is that what the initiative's primary backers want is to further line their gold-filled pockets at the unfair expense of the rest of us. I ask you, my fellow citizens, to see through the phony arguments being put forth supporting Prop 5. I ask you to say "NO" to widespread, unregulated casino gambling in every corner of our state. I ask you to vote NO ON 5 on November 3! # # # • Partial list of organization Opposing Proposition 5 (Some particularly pertinent entities Italicized) Association of Church Schools International Bethel Baptist Schools & Church California Association of Highway Patrolmen California Business Properties Association California Organization of Police and Sheriffs California Republican Assembly Board of Directors California Restaurant Association California State Association of Counties Carl Karcher, Enterprises Christian Coalition Committee on Moral Concerns Hilton Hotels Corporation Hispanic Business & Trade Association Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees International Union, AFL-CIO Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees, Union Local 30 New Harvest Christian Fellowship Church of Norwalk Orange County Business Council Orange County Taxpayers Association Republican Central Committee of San Joaquin County San Francisco Democratic Party Service Employees International Union, Local 2028 The California Parks Company The Lincoln Club of Orange County United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO From: http://www.bad4cal.org