"Why did Attorney General Jerry Brown side with Indian gaming tribes over his own regulatory partner, the California Gambling Control Commission? Does he genuinely believe that the vote, for a set of desperately needed casino security standards, was just "advisory," and therefore, we suppose, unnecessary?

"I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure that the casinos are regulated," Brown said. "As a matter of timing, and a way to make it work, I want to bring it all together."

Uh-huh. Brown's actions don't make much sense - until you remember that he's a likely candidate for governor in 2010.

Here's the basic story: The National Indian Gaming Commission used to enforce basic standards for gambling tribes across the country. (These standards, known as minimum internal controls, cover important security measures like internal audits, surveillance, money transfer and slot machine calibration.) In 2006, a federal court decided that the commission lacked the authority to do so - meaning that state gambling regulators had to impose rules of their own."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Attorney General Brown undermines casino regulation (The San Francisco Chronicle 9/17)