Editorial:

Prop. 48: Indian Gaming. Ratifies two gaming compacts and exempts execution of the compacts and intergovernmental agreements from the California Environmental Quality Act.
In June 2013, the Legislature passed AB 277, which approves gaming compacts between the state and the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians and the Wiyot Tribe. Under the State Constitution, enacted legislation can generally be placed before voters as a referendum to determine whether it can go into effect. This proposition is a referendum on AB 277. If voters approve Proposition 48, the gaming compacts between the state and the two tribes would go into effect, allowing North Fork to construct a casino in Madera County.

This is a dispute between two tribes, one whose reservation is too small to build a casino and they have the state’s approval to build a casino 38 miles away. This puts their future casino in direct competition with the second casino and they want to stop the smaller tribe from building their casino.

The third leg on this proposition is that the profits from this new casino will be shared with yet another small tribe.

It does us no good to argue the morality of gambling, that ship has sailed and we have casinos up and down the state.

Our concern is that this will open the door for other tribes to build casinos off-reservation! Take for example the properties owned by local Indian tribes, the US Grant owned by Sycuan Band and the property owned in National City. In the near future it could be possible that a casino could be built on one of these properties if this proposition passes, allowing tribes to build casinos off-reservation.

We are torn between the opportunity for small tribes to better themselves financially and the potential proliferation of casinos in local cities.

We have No Recommendation on Prop. 48.