KXO RADIO - Casinos - Aguas Caliente Compact Blocked

You are here : Home

KXO News

Education Center

Casinos - Aguas Caliente Compact Blocked

Todays is : Wednesday, 07 January 2009

Casinos - Aguas Caliente Compact Blocked

Written by George Gale

Tuesday, 29 August 2006

(THERE MAY BE A ROUGH ROAD AHEAD FOR THE LOCAL NATIVE AMERICANS)…. THE QUECHAN TRIBE IN IMPERIAL COUNTY NEGOTIATED A COMPACT WITH THE GOVERNOR LAST YEAR FOR A NEW CASINO/RESORT NEAR INTERSTATE 8 AT ANDRADE.

THE COMPACT HAS BEEN APPROVED BECAUSE OF PRESSURE AND LOBBYING EFFORTS FROM OTHER TRIBES IN THE STATE. THE MOST VOCAL OPPONENT HAD BEEN THE AGUAS CALIENTE TRIBE, THE RICHEST IN THE STATE. THE OTHER TRIBES FELT THE QUECHAN’S HAD GIVEN AWAY TOO MUCH IN THEIR COMPACT. THAT PRESSURE WAS RELIEVED, SOMEWHAT, WHEN THE SENATE APPROVED A COMPACT FOR THE AGUAS CALIENTE TRIBE. THAT COMPACT WOULD HAVE GIVEN THE TRIBE ANOTHER CASINO IN PALM SPRINGS, WITH FEW CONCESSIONS. AGUAS CALIENTE POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVES INDICATED THEY WOULD STOP OPPOSING THE QUECHAN COMPACT, SINCE IT DID NOT CONFLICT WITH THEIR EFFORTS. BOB HAMM, IMPERIAL COUNTIES INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS OFFICER, TOLD THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TUESDAY THE ASSEMBLY HAD BLOCKED THE AGUAS CALIENTE COMPACT. HE SAID ORGANIZED LABOR BLOCKED THE COMPACT BECAUSE THE COMPACT DID NOT CONTAIN ANY CONCESSIONS FOR UNION LABOR ON THE NEW CASINO. HAMM SAID THE QUECHAN COMPACT IS BEING SPONSORED BY STATE SENATOR DENISE DUCHENY, AND SHE TOLD HIM THE AGUAS CALIENTE TRIBE MIGHT BE TOO BUSY TO CONCERN ITSELF WITH THE QUECHANS. HER BILL IS EXPECTED TO BE APPROVED THIS WEEK.