news from Stop Graton Casino (Sept. 2014)

[Glia]

Graton Casino Lawsuit featured in California Lawyer magazine
Stop the Casino 101 Coalition et al v. Edmund G. Brown is the feature story in California Lawyer magazine, the official publication of the California Bar Association. Bay Area journalist and author Thomas Peele wrote the story and did a great job covering a story that has never really been covered in depth.

The article, entitled "Leaving Las Vegas" explores how the Graton Rancheria casino came into being, how it exemplifies the take-over of California's Proposition 1A (2000) by out-of-state gambling interests, and what the stakes are.

While one or two historical facts are wrong (e.g., Peele cites a Congressional report that talks about 75 Indians living on the Graton Rancheria after it was purchased, which is contradicted by multiple historical documents), the story is generally accurate, well-written and very interesting.

Every lawyer, judge and justice who is a member of the California Bar Association gets a copy of this magazine. You can find the article online here: https://www.callawyer.com/Clstory.cf...ving_Las_Vegas


DID SONOMA COUNTY FAIL TO PROTECT US?
By Marilee Montgomery of Stop Graton Casino
The Graton casino gambling Compact gave the County the ability to do inspections during construction - so why didn't they?
Stop Graton Casino has learned that from the beginning, the County had the power to do the inspections and code enforcement for the casino construction.

The state gambling Compact with Graton Rancheria clearly allowed the County to reach an agreement with the tribe to have county inspectors during construction. Section 6.2.4 of the Compact requires code compliance and states that the tribe must hire an independent inspector for code compliance OR "Alternatively, the Tribe can reach agreement with the County for the County's building inspectors to examine, at the Tribe's expense, all aspects of the Gaming Facility, or any expansion, modification, or maintenance thereof, in order to assess compliance with the Applicable Codes.".

We know that the County of Sonoma Permit Management and Resource Department (PRMD) never even saw a set of blueprints before the casino was built, and they did not do the inspection work on the casino, but why not?

On Friday September 5, 2014, at 1:18 pm, I spoke with a person in authority at the PRMD. This person told me that after the casino construction was completed, PRMD received a CD with miscellaneous information, reports and plans on it from Graton casino, but did not know what it was or why they received it. The CD had been filed away without review. I read the Compact's clause pertaining to the inspection process to this PRMD representative. This individual stated said they were unaware of that clause in the Compact, having never been told by anyone that such a clause existed.

Whoops! Was the County asleep at the wheel?

This person went on to say that PRMD never reviewed the material on the CD and do not plan to do so, since they have "no authority" on the land, there is "not enough man power", and the work would be "unfunded".

I explained that the Compact gives the county authority in that any code violations found in a review of the CD's material could be reported to the state and would have to be corrected. The individual from PRMD said that was for "powers greater than he" to decide.

Let's assume that County Counsel reviewed the Compact, and let's assume they noted this particular clause. So this begs the question, when the County Supervisors were negotiating that casino agreement, why didn't they demand that the County do the inspections? Did they ask, but were refused by the tribe? If they were refused permission to do the inspections, why didn't they halt negotiations then and there? Is there now a fund that could pay for a review of the material the casino has provided?

Presumably, the intent of this clause in the Governor's Compact was to ensure public safety and/or massage the public and make them think that their needs and concerns were being addressed in the Compact. Although I tend to think it was more the latter than the former, I'm willing to hold a good thought for the moment.

My opinion as a citizen is that it is the County's duty to ensure that building codes are adhered to and enforced. The Governor's Compact gives them the power to do so. Since they missed the chance to get County inspectors in from the beginning, do they intend to perform their duty now and have the material reviewed for code compliance, and if not, why not? And do they intend to require County inspection for all future "expansion, modification, or maintenance thereof" and if not, why not?

[rekarp]

Do you know of construction issues or believe that there are code violations at the casino?
Given that the county did not oversee construction, do you know who did and if they are reputable?

Graton Casino Lawsuit featured in California Lawyer magazine

Stop the Casino 101 Coalition et al v. Edmund G. Brown is the feature story in California Lawyer magazine, the official publication of the California Bar Association. Bay Area journalist and author Thomas Peele wrote the story and did a great job covering a story that has never really been covered in depth.

The article, entitled "Leaving Las Vegas" explores how the Graton Rancheria casino came into being, how it exemplifies the take-over of California's Proposition 1A (2000) by out-of-state gambling interests, and what the stakes are.

While one or two historical facts are wrong (e.g., Peele cites a Congressional report that talks about 75 Indians living on the Graton Rancheria after it was purchased, which is contradicted by multiple historical documents), the story is generally accurate, well-written and very interesting.

You can find the article online here: https://www.callawyer.com/Clstory.cf...ving_Las_Vegas

DID SONOMA COUNTY FAIL TO PROTECT US?

The Graton casino gambling Compact gave the County the ability to do inspections during construction - so why didn't they?
...

[Glia]

The issues I personally am aware of are inadequate cigarette smoke containment and ventilation, and a T-bar ceiling that collapsed in the gambling area around the beginning of the summer (? not sure of the date off the top of my head).

the article was written by Marilee Montgomery, spokesperson for Stop Graton Casino (formerly Stop the Casino 101). The original byline got deleted in reformatting the text. I've edited the original post to include the appropriate byline. She might be able to answer your questions.

Do you know of construction issues or believe that there are code violations at the casino?
Given that the county did not oversee construction, do you know who did and if they are reputable?