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 OK, Governor, where’s the quid pro quo. Arnold said he’d support Prop. 93 which would allow members of the Legislature to double their current terms in office in exchange for the adoption of an independent commission to draw legislative districts. It didn’t happen. The lawmakers reneged. Term limits were imposed on California’s legislators in 1990 when voters approved Prop. 140 by nearly 60 percent as voters tired of paying for the excesses of then House Speaker Willie Brown. Those in favor of 93, including the governor who has done a 180 on the issue, say it’ll produce more stability, reduce to some degree a revolving door legislature and produce a more experienced group of lawmakers to deal with issues. Currently, a legislator can serve three two-year terms in the Assembly and two four-year terms in the Senate or, 14 years. Under 93, the term allowed to serve would be reduced to 12 years. Sounds good until you see the sham for what it is. A power grab by the two Democrats who control Sacramento’s legislative processes, Don Perata, the Senate leader from Oakland, and Fabian Nunez, the Assembly Speaker from Los Angeles. These are poster boys for the No campaign.
How more laughable could it be. A federal probe of Perata may be quiet at the moment but it remains very much alive. The East Bay Express’s expose titled “Living Large” cited Perata’s frequent trips to wine shops, 62 meals in excess of $500 and “office expenses” that included artwork and a $6,669 outlay at a woman’s clothing shop.” The Times said Nunez spent $8,745 to stay at the Hotel Arts in Barcelona; $5,149 for a meeting at Cave L’Avant Garde wine shop in the Bordeaux region of France; $2,562 for two “office expenses” at Louis Vuitton in Paris.” His airline expenses in 2007 exceeded $47,000. Perata and Nunez insist that their travel and expenses are legitimate, that much of what they spend come from their campaign coffers, and not from the state treasury. Regardless, when $1,000 is spent on gourmet cookies (as Nunez did) the perception of how they conduct themselves in office is legitimately thrown into question. The Center for Governmental Studies, a Los Angeles-based think tank, says 93 “outweighs its negative consequences without undoing the gains achieved by term limits.” But with Perata and Nunez at the legislative helm and even with Arnold’s insistence that he “can do business” with them not even that flies as an excuse to pass 93. The only way to get real political reform in Sacramento would be to get redistricting done outside the halls of the legislature. Allowing legislators to draw their own districts every ten years ensures safe seats for incumbents but it does nothing to improve state government. The governor didn’t get what he was promised nor will Californians get what they deserve from state government. The one Republican who opposes 93 is Steve Poizner, the state Insurance Commissioner, who more and more looks like the smart choice for Republicans to nominate in three years to succeed Arnold. Props. 94, 95, 96 and 97 are referendums as amendments to the state’s Indian Gaming Compacts. Prop. 94 would permit the Pechanga tribe in Temecula to increase its number of slot machines from 2,000 to 7,500. The Sycuan casino in El Cajon would be able to increase its number of slots from 2,000 to 5,000 under Prop. 96 as would Prop. 97 for Agua Caliente’s two casinos in Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage. Pechanga currently pays about $29 million to the state via two funds which were set up in 1999 when the present compacts were negotiated. The Legislative Analyst believes that Pechanga’s annual contribution to California’s General Fund, the state’s main operating account, would total at least $42.5 million annually as their contributions under the two funds comes to an end. The new agreements would extend the four compacts by 10 years to Dec. 31, 2030. Morongo pays $29 million into the two funds at present but under 95, the Legislative Analyst says its new contributions to the General Fund would be at least $38.7 million annually. Sycuan pays only $5 million to the state at the moment but the projection is that under 96, California would get at least $23 million per year. Agua Caliente is the only tribe in the state with two casinos but if 97 passes, the tribe would be permitted to build a third casino in the desert on its lands around Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Cathedral City. The state’s take under 97 would leap from around $13 million to $25.4 million. If these numerical projections pass the reality test, the state stands to gain another $53 million every year from the four tribes. But the Legislative Analyst also says that “even assuming that all of the compacts are ratified and a few more similar compacts are ratified in the future, we expect that compact related sources will provide the General Fund with less than 0.5 percent of its annual revenues in the foreseeable future.” If these deals are approved, California will jump into the big leagues of casino gambling. The tribes, four of the most wealthy in the state, will have 17,000 more slots in the largest expansion yet of casino gambling in the state. Add these 17,000 to the already 60,000-plus slots in the state at 58 different facilities and casino gambling has become California’s number one industry. What’s next. Overtake Las Vegas. Or, Macau! The tribes have become the biggest political contributors in the state. So maybe it’s not so amazing, as some of the opponents of these compacts say, what millions of dollars in political contributions will buy in Sacramento.
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