SAN FRANCISCO - The promise of jobs and increased public revenues versus the potential headaches and expense of traffic congestion with a proposed casino off Interstate 80 just north of San Francisco is fueling a debate among local residents and government officials.
More than 400 foes and opponents of the proposed Casino San Pablo packed a standing-room-only public hearing on the plan Saturday.
The plan, crafted between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians, is pending approval by the state Legislature.
Amid the controversy, the tribe has already halved the number of proposed slot machines to 2,500, and leaders said they will unveil a new, scaled-back plan within a month. The tribe has also pledged to share an unprecedented 25 percent of its gaming profits, which it estimates at $155 million a year, with the state and local governments to mitigate any problems.
"Our casino will not be a Las Vegas-style establishment dropped into the middle of San Pablo," said tribal chairwoman Margie Mejia.
Leaders of San Pablo and the union representing casino workers strongly support the plan to convert the existing card room into a casino, saying it would create more than 6,000 unionized jobs for a city where 18 percent of the population lives in poverty and unemployment is 237 times higher than the county average.
Still, residents and officials of nearby cities said they are concerned about the traffic, public safety impacts and social ills a casino could bring to the region. They also worry about access to a medical center next to the complex.
William Thompson, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said that the casino would not help the region's economy because the gamblers would be local people who could spend their money on other things.
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