Why the Green Party Opposes Proposition 48

from the Green Party of Alameda County Voter Guide:

NO Don't approve the compacts - Referendum on Indian Gaming Compacts

This proposition concerns some Indian gaming compacts which would allow a large casino to be built about 4 miles north of the City of Madera -- and NOT on the tribe's reservation. Last year the state legislature barely approved a bill (AB 277) which allowed this project to move forward. (Only 41 out of 80 Assemblymembers voted for it, and only 22 out of 40 State Senators voted for it). After Governor Brown signed the bill, a referendum campaign ensued to overturn the bill, to prevent this casino from being built, and because the referendum qualified for the ballot, it is now before we, the voters. Under California law, a "Yes" vote on a referendum allows the original legislation to remain in force, and a "No" vote overturns that legislation. Therefore, voting "Yes" on Prop. 48 allows this casino to be built, and voting "No" on Prop. 48 prevents the casino from being built.

As we have previously written, we support tribal sovereignty over tribal lands. That's why we supported Prop. 5 in 1998, which was when statewide voters first cast ballots approving of Indian gaming in California. However, the casino under consideration in Prop. 48 is NOT on the tribe's reservation. Rather, the land for the casino was only acquired by the tribe in 2012, following a 2005 request to the federal government to obtain the land for the purpose of gaming. Therefore, the question here is instead whether casino gaming should be allowed in or near cities, as opposed to this being a question about tribal sovereignty over tribal land.

There is good evidence that gambling casinos tend to lead to an increase an crime (see: http://casinofreephilly.org/casino-facts/gambling-and-crime ). There is also good evidence that they lead to an increase in gambling addiction (see: http://www.casinofreephilly.org/casino-facts/gambling-availability-increases-addiction ). Furthermore, as we Greens work to create a more just, humane, and sustainable society, proposals to build gambling casinos (and especially in or near urban areas) don't really fit in with how we'd like to see our future unfold. Therefore, because the main issue here is really about whether gambling casinos should be built in or near cities, we urge you to vote "No" on Proposition 48.