Chairman Raymond Hitchcock of the Wilton Rancheria refutes criticism about the tribe's plan for a casino in Elk Grove, California. The project has taken a major step forward with the acquisition of the gaming site in trust:
The resort and casino will create sustainable jobs in a community that badly needs them – 1,700 to 2,000 full-time positions and 3,000 direct and indirect jobs as spending ripples through the economy. It will not be a magnet for crime. Don’t take my word for it. Elk Grove police Chief Bryan Noblett recently told residents that his department studied other communities with casinos and found no “significant uptick in crime.” Many national studies have reached similar conclusions. A vocal minority of Elk Grove residents opposes the project, but most see the obvious benefits, including the transformation of an abandoned mall – a true blight – into a shopping and entertainment area that Elk Grove residents very much want. That is why the Elk Grove City Council and the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to support us. And why support has come from across the community – the Police Officers Association, United Pastors of Sacramento, Region Business, the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce, among others.Read More on the Story:
Raymond C. Hitchcock: The facts about Wilton Rancheria’s casino project (The Sacramento Bee 2/16) More Opinions:
Editorial: Putting Elk Grove casino in empty mall may be best of bad options (The Sacramento Bee 2/15)
Michael Monasky: Why Elk Grove doesn't need a mall, much less a casino; How shopping, gambling are useful distractions for conventional wisdom (The Elk Grove News 2/16)
Amber Enderton: Why I Support the Wilton Rancheria Casino (The Elk Grove News 2/19) Federal Register Notices:
Final Environmental Impact Statement and a Revised Draft Conformity Determination for the Proposed Wilton Rancheria Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project, Sacramento County, California (December 14, 2016)
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Wilton Rancheria Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project, Sacramento County, California (December 29, 2015)
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Wilton Rancheria Fee-to-Trust and Casino Project, Sacramento County, California (December 4, 2013)
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