Column: Neighbors not ready for Soboba casino

Tuesday, May 6, 2008  

"I sang the virtues of The Club at Soboba in San Jacinto. I pointed out that it is a smart marketing tool for Soboba tribal leaders in their campaign to annex land into their reservation so they can build a new hotel and casino near the golf course they purchased in 2004.

I wasn't surprised that nearby residents let me know they believe a new casino would ruin the tranquillity of their very nice neighborhoods. They thought I was out of tune. v Mike and Dee Wickham, who live just a few hundred feet from the lavish new clubhouse, which is open to the public, worry that a new casino on land annexed into the reservation would draw crime to their neighborhood.

They'd prefer to see the tribe build a new gambling facility near its existing casino, which already is on the reservation.

They think a massive, Las Vegas-style casino with accompanying retail shops, public services, parking areas, restaurants and bars would spoil neighborhoods in what is one of nicest parts San Jacinto."

Get the Story:
Bob Pratte: Neighbors Hear a Sour Note (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 5/6)
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