Assembly GOP Whip urges colleagues to oppose Ilitch driven Barstow gaming compacts

Assembly
California Legislature

ANTHONY ADAMS
FIFTY-NINETH DISTRICT

REPUBLICAN WHIP

April 18, 2007

Dear Colleague:

I urge you to reject SB 157 (Wiggins, Ashburn), a bill to ratify the proposed tribal/state gaming compacts that would establish a casino in the City of Barstow by Barwest LLC and the Ilitch Family of Detroit under the auspices of Indian Gaming. These developers are trying to abuse the intent of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act for their own private benefit.

Although I understand the desire of the Los Coyotes and Big Lagoon Indian tribes to pull themselves out of poverty, these proposals stray from the spirit of the law and undermine the goodwill expressed by the California electorate when it authorized Tribal gaming. Opponents of Indian gaming tried to scare the voters by telling them “casinos would spring up everywhere,” and SB 157 will bring that claim to reality.

Tribal gaming should be conducted on Indian lands and near their reservations. These two tribes are moving across the State to create new reservations, exercise governmental jurisdiction, and build casinos on lands 700 and 120 miles away from their existing reservations. This is not what we voted for; this is not what the Tribes promised.

I understand the need to protect the environment near the Big Lagoon, but I am certain there is a 20-acre parcel of land within the homeland of the Big Lagoon tribe that they can use for gaming. In regards to the Los Coyotes Tribe, I see no prevailing public policy reason to move them from their existing reservation in North County San Diego just for a better market location.

Furthermore, you should reject SB 157 on the grounds that the proposed gaming locations are NOT INDIAN LANDS. Neither of these tribes exercises governmental jurisidiction over the property in Barstow, nor have they ever exercised such jurisdiction in their history.

Ratifying these compacts is bad public policy and sets a bad precedent in our State. How many more tribes will seek compacts to move from their remote reservations to more lucrative markets? We need to end reservation shopping now.

For all the reasons above I urge you to oppose SB 157.

Sincerely,

Anthony Adams
Assemblyman 59th District


Facsimile of original "Dear Colleague" letter

You may also want to review these posts:

• DOI Associate Secretary encourages Big Lagoon Rancheria to re-consider casino location closer to reservation; discourages Barstow scheme
• DOI Associate Secretary encourages Los Coyotes to reconsider on-reservation casino; discourages Barstow scheme
• After two years, Sen. Roy Ashburn only legislative advocate for ill-conceived Barstow Compacts
• Barwest's partners signed Compacts under false pretense; knew they would never make the May 31, 2007 deadline
• Tribe's casino pointman can't pinpoint location of proposed casino on map
• Sacramento lawmakers and journalists aren't getting the whole truth from Los Coyotes tribe's elder nor her partners