Features

Candidates in the Assembly District 14 race were asked their views on urban casinos as an economic development strategy. 

Kriss Worthington 

I supported both of the statewide initiatives to allow Native American gaming. Philosophically, I think Native Americans should have a chance to get some money and some jobs out of all of this, but having supported those and then seeing what’s happening in the real world, where tribes sort of take over a territory where their tribe never existed before, and then the tribes sometimes seem to be being used by some casino to bring their business in saying that it’s a Native American casino, when it’s really controlled by big corporations in Las Vegas or wherever, I think I’m a little more cynical about it all than I was. Urban casinos worry me. I guess I don’t look very favorably on all these little manipulations that seem to be going on to get casinos in Oakland and Richmond. 

Phil Polakoff 

I’d be very suspect of casinos. I’m not a great fan of casinos. On the other hand, in San Pablo, I’ve talked to all the City Council members. They said that if it was up to them, they wouldn’t have voted to bring the casino in, but since it was built, they certainly want it to stay there, because it brings in about $50 million of revenue they wouldn’t have otherwise. So that’s a societal issue and people have to have an open conversation about the pros and cons of casinos. 

Nancy Skinner 

As you know, and the voters in our area were very clear, for example, there were a number of ballot measures on the state ballot in February that were gambling pacts, or casino pacts, but that basically provided no worker protection. So if we’re looking at casinos as a form of economic development, it’s not a form of economic development, because it does not provide high-quality, good wage jobs that give the employees security, some retirement benefits, health benefits. So unless we can do project labor agreements and other types of agreements that ensure that the jobs that are being offered in that industry are the kinds of jobs that are really providing for people, then it’s not a wise approach. 

Tony Thurmond 

I am not aware of any casino development that has led to widespread economic development. What I have been told is that urban casinos in particular have fallen short of its promises and goals. I understand that the urban casino in Detroit has not been the economic engine that everybody thought it would be. I think that people have to be serious. If you choose a casino, you have to also seriously pursue measures that will offset an increase in crime, an increase in addiction, and other social problems that are associated with casinos. So anyone who chooses to pursue that, if they’re not pursuing resources for negative impacts, then they’re not being serious. That’s why I voted against the casino that they wanted to put in North Richmond. Certainly casinos can bring in money, but that doesn’t mean that they enhance economic development. So I am not certain that that’s the way to go. I think that there are better avenues to pursue.