Editorial: Let public vote on Graton casino

Wednesday, November 28, 2007  

"When an Indian tribe bought property just south of Petaluma hoping to establish a casino complex there, then-Petaluma City Councilman Mike Healy suggested giving residents an opportunity to vote on the proposal. Healy’s reasoning was based on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s May 2005 tribal gaming policy proclamation whereby the governor will only consider approving gaming compacts if it can be demonstrated “that the affected local community supports the project, such as by a local advisory vote.”

The governor’s policy seemed pretty clear. So when nearly 80 percent of this city’s voters weighed in against the casino one year ago, it meant that a gaming compact would not, under the governor’s own policy, be approved for a casino in Petaluma.

So why not allow Sonoma County voters the same opportunity to voice their opinions on the gigantic casino complex proposed in Rohnert Park by the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria? Healy is posing just that question to county supervisors, but the reaction he’s getting is peculiarly indifferent."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Let the public vote on casino proposal (The Petaluma Argus Courier 11/28)

Another Opinion:
Susan Moore: Facts about Rohnert Park casino (The Petaluma Argus Courier 11/28)