Thursday, July 12, 2007

New Qs For California Tribal Cash Distribution Fund

as posted 7.12.07 by KQED's John Myers at Capitol Notes :

A new analysis by the state auditor suggests that the payments made by gambling tribes into a special fund for local governments may not always be used the way they're supposed to be.

State Auditor Elaine Howle's report focuses on what's known as the Special Distribution Fund, a fund created by the enactment of the original 1999 Indian casino compacts. Those compacts required tribes to pay a portion of their proceeds into the SDF for projects to mitigate the community impacts of tribal casinos.

But Howle's audit (which focuses on the 2005-06 fiscal year) found that in some instances, local governments don't appear to be using the cash for actual casino mitigation. One example comes from Sonoma County, where she says $52,000 in SDF money was used to buy surveillance cameras at Healdsburg Hospital.

"Although the hospital claimed it experienced several acts of vandalism in its parking areas and other disturbances," wrote Howle, "it could not provide evidence showing that those incidents were related to the [nearby] casino or that the number of criminal incidents on its property had increased since the casino was built."

Howle says there were other grants -- totaling about $2.3 million -- that might have been tangentially related to impacts from a nearby Indian casino, but not directly related. Even so, she says none of this is illegal because existing law isn't specific enough about how SDF money is used. She suggests that legislators make it clear that the money must be used to mitigate actual casino impacts.

The state auditor also chronicles what sounds like a case of double dipping. Tribes that renegotiated their casino compacts in recent years no longer have to pay into the SDF, and instead now must negotiate directly with local governments to pay for mitigation. And yet, says the auditor, some of these counties are still getting money from the SDF... a total of $850,000 in the 2005-06 fiscal year... even though that money ostensibly should go to communities that don't have a means of negotiating directly with gaming tribes. Again, it's not that they're breaking the law, says Howle... but rather that the existing law doesn't specify this to be a no-no.

If that's not enough to leave your head spinning, then consider one final finding from the newly released audit: the Special Distribution Fund could run out of money.

Why? Well, says Howle, the revised casino deals struck in recent years between the big gaming tribes and Governor Schwarzenegger generally require those tribes to share their revenues with the state's general fund; in exchange, those tribes can stop paying money into the SDF. She estimates that will eventually mean a decrease in SDF cash of $92 million a year.

And because the SDF is used not only for gambling mitigation... but also to make up any shortfalls in a separate program that sends money to impoverished tribes... Howle says it's very likely that the SDF is going to get squeezed for cash.

The audit is here.

No comments:

TVT has welcomed more than 178,000 unique vistors

TVT, founded in December 2006, has averaged more than 20,000 visitors annually. It is produced with the support of scores of individuals from coast-to-coast, each a volunteer citizen activist/jounalist, who review tips and compile the verifiable details and documents that are the hallmark of our content.

Since our first post, more than 178,000 visitors have accessed the details compiled uniquely at TVT.

The citizen activists behind TVT wish to extened a big "THANK YOU" to all those who have provided "tips" -- contributed pictures, documents, link suggestions, leads, reports, insight and comments. Your trust and confidence in TVT has allowed us to create a comprehensive resource that thousands of others -- including bloggers, journalists, Members of Congress and other local citizen activists around the country -- have come to rely upon.

We invite feedback and constructive comment and want you to know you are welcome to do that here in "comments" or by contacting us directly and confidentially via allverifiable@gmail.com

Google News: Indian Gaming

NEWS: Bay Mills Indian Community & Casino Proposals

NEWS: Shinnecock Indian Nation (Gateway Casino Resorts) Casino Proposals

NY Times: Shinnecock Indian Nation

NEWS: Los Coyotes Indian Tribe

NEWS: Los Coyotes / Barwest Barstow Casino Proposals

NEWS: Michael J. Malik, Sr.

NEWS: Marian Ilitch

Muckety.com: Mapping Social Networks

Play with the interactive tool here or visit Muckety.com

TIP: Search for multiple entries in the Muckety.com database simultaneously by separating their names with the word and

certainly must reads!

Ilitch has backed loosing sports teams and pizza, but casinos in Detroit? Forbes.com 10.09.06 ● Marian Ilitch #1 on "25 Most Powerful People" to Watch 2006” global gaming business o1.oo.o5 ● My Kingdom for a Casino Forbes 05.08.06 ● Big Lagoon’s casino dream awakens north coast journal 07.28.05 ● Shinnecocks launch legal claim to Hamptons land newsday.com 06.16.05 ● Ilitch Plans to Expand Casino Empire RGTonline.com 07.05.05 ● Ilitch outbids partners MichiganDaily.com 04.14.05 ● Ilitch enmeshed in NY casino dispute detnews.com 03.20.05 ● Marian Ilitch, high roller freep.com 03.20.05 ● MGM Mirage to Decide on Offer for Casino in Detroit rgtonline.com 04.16.05 ● Secret deal for MotorCity alleged freep.com 02.15.05 ● Los Coyotes get new developer desertdispatch.com 02.08.05 Detroit casino figure to finance Barstow project LasVegasSun.com 07.07.03 ● Indian Band trying to put casino in Barstow signonSanDiego.com 06.04.03 Pizza matriarch takes on casino roles detnews.com 10.23.02 ● Vanderbilt gets short straw in negotiations for a casino Lansing Journal 10.06.02 ● Indians aim to drive family from tribe in vicious dispute san diego union tribune 04.09.00 ●Malik owns 2000 Michigan Quarter Horse of the Year Michigan.gov 01.01.00 ● Detroit Team to run Michigan’s newest Indian casino detnews.com 05.23.99 Tiger ties tangle Marian Ilitch detnews.com 04.29.99 ● Three investors must sell their Detroit casino interests gamblingmagazine.com 04.25.99 ● Partners’ cash revived election; They say money was crucial to Prop-E detnews.com 04.25.99 Investors have troubled histories las vegas review journal 04.27.99 ● Investor served probation for domestic assault on 12 year old boy detnews.com 04.25.99 Can a pair win a jackpot?: local men hope to... crainsdetroit.com 03.17.97

The Verifiable Truth