Gilroy
– The city is initiating a forum for regional leaders to address
two hot topics: a proposed Indian casino in San Benito County and
the potential development of Sargent Ranch. But not all
councilmembers are sure it’s a good idea.
Gilroy – The city is initiating a forum for regional leaders to address two hot topics: a proposed Indian casino in San Benito County and the potential development of Sargent Ranch. But not all councilmembers are sure it’s a good idea.
The Gilroy City Council, Mayor Al Pinheiro and City Manager Jay Baksa are inviting city councils, mayors and city managers from jurisdictions surrounding Gilroy to talk about the possible impacts the two developments might have on the region.
The California Valley Miwok tribe is working with about two dozen investors to build a casino in San Benito County just south of Gilroy. The five-member tribe is federally recognized as a landless tribe, thus making them eligible to negotiate with federal and state governments about establishing sovereign land. The casino could be built without following local planning ordinances.
In a separate deal, Sargent Ranch owner Wayne Pierce has an agreement with a band of the Amah Mutsun tribe to develop 3,500 acres of the 6,500-acre ranch. Pierce would lease 500 acres to the tribe for its members’ homes, businesses and a cultural center, then develop his 3,000 acres. The development hinges on whether the Amah Mutsun band receives federal recognition, which could take several years if done through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. An act of Congress could accelerate the process considerably. The tribe applied for official recognition through the BIA about two years ago. If the tribe receives federal recognition, it also could develop its tribal land free of local planning ordinances.
The main goal of the forum is the get the facts straight regarding the two developments, Baksa said.
“There’s a lot of information from an educational point of view that we just don’t have right now, and we need to have a forum to get educated,” Baksa said. “It’s a regional issue, and we want to talk about that. As time goes on, we all need to hear the exact same story.”
Exploring certain federal and state legal issues is another reason for the meeting, which Baksa said will take place Oct. 27.
Leaders from Morgan Hill, Hollister, San Martin and San Juan Bautista, as well as District 1 County Supervisor Don Gage and San Benito County supervisors, will be invited to the forum. City Clerk Rhonda Pellin said Gage, Morgan Hill Mayor Dennis Kennedy, San Juan Bautista Mayor George Rowe Jr. and Gage have already said they’d attend.
Councilman Bob Dillon didn’t seem as receptive to the idea of a regional meeting. Whether the two tribes receive federal recognition is strictly a federal issue, and that leaves local governments with their hands tied, Dillon said. The only thing local governments can do is voice their concerns and trust they are heard, he said.
“I’m generally against meetings where nothing is accomplished, and I think that’s what’s going to happen,” he said. “It’s a federal matter.”
Dillon noted that neither Sargent Ranch nor the location where the Indian casino might go is in Gilroy’s jurisdiction.
“The forces at play are way outside what we can affect,” he said. “Nonetheless, we’re going to try.”
Dillon, an occasional gambler in Reno and Tahoe, said he’s opposed to a casino anywhere near Gilroy because of the negative impacts he thinks will come along with it, such as prostitution, drugs and increased crime.
Councilman Paul Correa called the forum “an excellent idea” and a good way to explore the issues. He raised the concern that a tribe building a casino in north San Benito County could pave the way for more development on contiguous land – development that is simply unnecessary, Correa said.
Holding a regional forum will help local powers come together and present their concerns as a unified force, Correa said.
“Local control usually always supersedes state and sometimes federal control,” he said. “That’s why it’s important to have local meetings, to see how we can work concurrently to inform the public and inform the lawmakers about what’s going on. They may be able to supersede what we want, but they still have to respect our local control and address our concerns.”
Councilman Craig Gartman said he also supports holding a regional forum.
“We need to work with our surrounding community members to make sure we are heard,” he said. “This is one of the ways that can happen.”
Gartman said the idea of holding a regional forum on a regular basis to regional issues was something the city has talked about for a number of years.
The city participated in a similar Joint Powers of Authority with South County jurisdictions in the late 1990s, when cable television was refranchised from Falcon Cable to Charter Communications, Baksa said. For that issue, regional city managers met once every few weeks and regional city councils met twice a year for about five years, and Baksa said the result was positive.
Holding a regional forum on a regular basis to talk about the two Indian developments is a possibility, Baksa said, depending on what the group thinks will be the most effective approach.
“Right now, there are a lot of different people with a lot of different opinions and ideas,” Baksa said. “We need a central location for the dissemination of information. I see this group hopefully becoming a much more active group that represents the whole part of South County and the part of north San Benito County that will be most affected.”
Although San Juan Bautista City Manager Larry Cain said he will be in Sacramento on Oct. 27, he said he will send city councilman Dan Reed in his place, along with the city mayor.
“I think it’s always good when you talk about something that’s close at hand and maybe controversial. I certainly think it can’t hurt,” Cain said. “I’ve heard concerns in the community about people who are going to be using the casino with money they need to live on, and that’s an issue, especially in a small community like this.”
