San Mateo City Council Opposes Casino Gambling Bill

The City Council is not going to budge in its opposition to a bill that would allow a new form of casino gambling at Bay Meadows Racecourse. That was the message Monday from a unified council, whose members were surprised to learn last week that Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, had authored a bill that would allow bettors at California tracks to wager on historical horse races. Mayor John Lee said the council's opposition to AB 2409 stems from the fact that San Mateo voters rejected pro-gambling measures in 1995 and 2004.

Lee and other council members were also upset that Yee, who is the Democratic nominee to represent San Mateo next year as a state senator, did not confer with city officials before introducing the bill last Thursday.

"I can assure you we will vigorously oppose" AB 2409, Lee said. "I think this bill should be withdrawn and discarded. "Yee's bill was scheduled to be heard today by the Senate Governmental Organization Committee.

But Yee pulled the bill from the agenda after state budget deliberations heated up on Monday. The bill will not be heard until the state Legislature returns from recess on Aug. 7, said Yee spokesman Adam Keigwin.

June 27, 2006
Posted By Bob Hartman
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com    Previous Page | Internet Gambling | Top Online Casinos | Submit News!

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