Chronicle columnists confirmed Barwest had hired Willie Brown as an advocate in Sacramento

4.07.04

COLUMN: Matier & Ross

Gamblin' man: Willie Brown has long had a fascination with gambling, and his latest bet is with the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians of San Diego County and Detroit-based BarWest development.

The two groups have hired the former San Francisco mayor to help pave the way for an off-reservation Indian casino they're planning to build in Barstow (San Bernardino County), of all places.

"Basically, Brown was retained to help us through the state government process, and that includes working with the governor's office and the Legislature,'' said Tom Shields, spokesman for BarWest.

"Obviously, he is one of the most well-known figures in state government, and he understands the process and can help guide us through it,'' Shields said.

And he's not the only star in the mix -- one of BarWest's partners is Marian Ilitch, wife of Mike Ilitch, owner of the Little Caesars pizza chain, the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Red Wings.

The Los Coyotes Band is one of a number of tribes negotiating with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for compacts that would allow them to operate as many as 2,000 slot machines per casino in exchange for the state getting a slice of the revenue.

Incidentally, if you're wondering why a San Diego-based tribe wants to put a casino in Barstow:

"It's halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas,'' Shields said. “We figured it's the perfect location.''

Brown declined to provide specifics about his new work because of attorney-client privilege, but said, "I'm a lawyer back practicing law, and I have a lot of clients . . . and I'm earning an honest living.''