Hollister
– The San Benito County Board of Supervisors Tuesday put up a
united front in one of the most controversial issues in recent
community history, unanimously voting to send a letter to
Sacramento opposing the proposed Miwok casino near Hollister.
Hollister – The San Benito County Board of Supervisors Tuesday put up a united front in one of the most controversial issues in recent community history, unanimously voting to send a letter to Sacramento opposing the proposed Miwok casino near Hollister.
“We all have to tell Sacramento how we feel,” Supervisor Pat Loe told her fellow board members. “We all know that we are not the final word. Sacramento is the final word. But we need to let them know how we feel.”
After the four other supervisors made statements covering the reasons for their own opposition to the proposed Miwok casino, the board unanimously approved a resolution opposing the project and authorized Chairman Reb Monaco to send the signed resolution to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The governor has said he will not approve gaming compacts with tribes outside of their indigenous area without support from the community. The California Valley Miwoks hope to set up a casino – similar in size to Yolo County’s Cache Creek casino, which is more than 74,000 square feet with 2,200 slot machines – off Highway 156 near the Hollister Airport with the help of investment group Game Won. The tribe has not yet proven its ancestral ties to San Benito County.
The project was originally proposed at U.S. 101 and Highway 25, and a number of Gilroyans, including Joe Giacalone and Chris Vanni, are investors.
The resolution cites opposition on a number of grounds, from the wide-spread belief the tribe is reservation shopping to a reaction from anti-casino residents at a meeting held on Feb. 15.
The unanimous approval of the resolution was greeted with a round of restrained applause from casino opponents who had gathered in the chambers Tuesday to hear the vote. Others were not so happy with the decision.
California Valley Miwok Project Manager Gary Ramos said supervisors did not dedicate enough time to looking at the details.
“All we asked for, and all we still ask for, is 30 minutes of your time to sit down and put together a proposal,” Ramos said.
Monaco, however, said the board had taken the details under careful consideration.
Before the vote, several casino proponents took the podium, asking the supervisors to think of unemployed residents of San Benito County who were desperate for the 2,000 union-wage jobs with benefits the casino backers have promised.
“(We can’t) let this project go – and we’re not saying ‘casino,’ we’re saying ‘project.’ This is a hope for us to have better living in our beautiful community,” said Carlos Vargas of Hollister.
Estevan Guzman criticized the board for holding its Feb. 15 public meeting without providing a Spanish interpreter.
“Did it not occur to any of you that there might be one Mexican or Hispanic who would show up?” he asked.
Casinos Represent A Poor Solution Chairman Steve Merrell responded asking supervisors not to be swayed by the criticism.
“I find it very disturbing that as we get closer and closer to a decision from various parties, the race card is being played,” Merrell said.
Ramos said after the meeting that the tribe and its investors will continue trying to drum up local support for their cause.
Meanwhile, hours after the board approved the resolution, casino opponents urged the Hollister City Council to follow suit.
At the next council meeting on March 7, Hollister Mayor Pauline Valdivia said she will be appointing a committee to study the proposed casino and its potential benefits and draw-backs.
