Watchdog: Antioch citizens, circulating card room initiative, are front group for Pacheco casino
By Barbara Zivica
Did you see the Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition filed by Antioch residents Lamar Thorpe, LaTanya Harmon and Patrice L. Guillory of Antioch, published on October 24th and entitled “Antioch Coalition Against the Expansion of Gambling?”
Currently, the City only allows two card rooms to exist within the City at one time and requires persons who wish to operate a card room to obtain a license, based on an application, which the City Council may approve or reject. Only one card room, The 19th Hole, is currently operating in Antioch.
The initiative, which seeks to limit card rooms within the city, allowing only those card rooms that existed on September 1, 2015 to operate, would mandate that Council deny a license application if it finds the applicant has committed a felony, lacks good moral character, has submitted false information in support of the application, or the card room would be incompatible with surrounding land uses.
It would also change the regulations for licensed card rooms, including limiting the number of player-dealer games to half the card room’s tables, limit the number of players at a table to ten (except for poker tournaments) and require Antioch voter approval be obtained for any card room expansion or new card room (licenses granted to established businesses only) and prohibit card rooms from being located within 1,000 feet of another card room or of any school, hospital, medical clinic, alcohol or drug recovery center, mental/social care facility, park, library or place of worship.
Don’t be fooled by this initiative, which the aforementioned committee members are asking to be put on the ballot. It’s a back door ploy. The sponsor of the committee is the California Grand Casino in Pacheco, seeking to limit competition, and the committee treasurer is David Fried from Tiberon.
Huh?
What about some adult entertainment?
Jobs, and tax revenue?
Where do I go for some fun?
To laundromat shops, dollar stores, tattoo shops,
And barber shops?
Antioch made a big mistake not to allow a casino,
Is anybody following the graton casino financiall
Success?
But hey, we’re getting a new Taco Bell , that will do it.
Agree with Ms. Zivica on this one. Actually I’m good with the building Kelley’s was in to continue to be a card room. Two card rooms are fine. What we need to do is raise the table fees to a reasonable amount not what the 19th Hole is paying now. They are nearly nothing compared to what they should be.
Interesting, have to see it presented to the city council n what they say n vote, I’m not sure, can’t say I know enough to comment one way or the other. More research.