NO MORE MARINA CARD ROOMS!
Questions and Answers
These are the most common questions and answers regarding the Cardroom and the Municipal Code Change
What is the issue?
The Mayor and Two City Councilpersons want to change the Marina Municipal Code to remove the existing moratorium and allow two cardrooms in Marina.
Why is this bad?
The people of Marina (decades ago) decided that we did not want to have cardrooms in Marina because it does not fit with our vision of a "family-friendly" community. Cardrooms are gambling establishments, and while not inherently bad, they have a history of attracting criminal activity. As a former Marina public safety official said:
"The activities that cardrooms draw can be dangerous for a community"
Don't We Have A Cardroom?
Yes, Marina Casino. When Marina incorporated in the 1970's, there were two cardrooms that were frequented by Ft. Ord GIs. In order not to hurt a Marina-family business, the cardrooms were allowed to be "Legal- Non Conforming". This means they can operate, but they are limited in what improvements they can do. The other cardroom (Mortimers) closed in 2015. Without changing the municipal code, Marina Casino will be the last cardroom and may close in the future.
Who is pushing for a new cardroom?
One of the largest cardroom companies in the State (ParkWest) approached City officials last year and began discussions to add a new cardroom on Del Monte Ave. near the Hwy 1 exit.
They did this because there was a moratorium on new gaming licenses by the Gambling Control Commission. In order to open a cardroom, ParkWest would have to find an Inactive gaming license. They found Marina.
Mayor Bruce Delgado has been advocating for ParkWest and thinks it will bring new business and good paying jobs to Marina.
Will a new cardroom bring more tax revenue and good paying jobs?
We don't know. The City of Marina did not do a market analysis study to see if a new cardroom would bring in any additional revenue. It's quite possible that it will only take revenue from the existing casino.
ParkWest is not a union company and the employees that were surveyed were being paid minimum wage. While ParkWest provides healthcare benefits, employees making minimum wage cannot afford it.
So, it may not bring any new revenue and the jobs are not "living wage"
Will the cardroom attract new business?
Historically in California, cardrooms have not attracted other businesses. In fact, most "premiere" retailers actively avoid gambling establishments.
Will the cardroom re-vitalize the downtown/Del Monte Corridor?
We don't know where the cardroom will go. The Planning Commission will try to find a suitable site. The site proposed by ParkWest will likely be deemed illegal because of its proximity to Marina Highschool.
Who are the City Council Members who voted "yes"?
They are Kathy Biala (District 2) and Liesbeth Visscher (District 4).
Cristing Medina-Dirksen (Mayor Pro Tem, District 3) and Brian McCarthy (District 1) voted "no".
Why did they vote "yes"?
Ms. Biala stated that she was concerned that we have a "monopoly" situation with regard to cardrooms. She also stated that there were a silenced group of gamblers in Marina that want the cardroom. She also stated that gambling addiction was not as bad as drugs and alcohol.
Ms. Visscher stated that she wanted the additional revenue to fix streets and that the city needed more good restaurants and a community room would be good for Marina.
Mayor Delgado has said that electric scooters (like Bird), dispensaries and cardrooms help add a vibrancy that Marina needs.
Do we have a monopoly in cardrooms Marina?
According to attorney Daniel Langley (who used to work for the FTC) the answer is "no".
Because cardrooms are a licensed industry, anti-trust law almost never applies.
Is Gambling addiction less harmful than alcohol and drug addition?
No. Addiction is addiction and all of the negative consequence thereof. Gambling addiction is often paired with substance abuse. See this link about gambling addiction.
Is there a silent majority in Marina who want more cardrooms?
We don't think so. While there are some who enjoy cardrooms and gaming, we believe them to be in the minority. The polling suggests the same trends as recent propositions 26 & 27. Both propositions went down handily. We believe the citizens of Marina want what the original Municipal Code says: "no cardrooms".
Will a new cardroom bring in new/good restaurants?
The current proposal from ParkWest does include a restaurant. It is unclear (and we believe unlikely) that it would attract other restaurants.
When visiting ParkWest's Casino 580 (in Livermore), there were no patrons in the restaurant at all at the time of the visit.
Will a new cardroom help fix Marina's roads?
Unlikely. As answered above, we do not know what (if any) additional tax revenue the cardroom would bring.
Marina has millions of dollars of needed road repairs. A cardroom would likely generate less than a half-million in tax revenue.
Further, the Mayor has already stated that the additional revenue would be used to hire an additional Marina police officer. We agree another police officer will be needed if they allow another cardroom.
Will a new cardroom provide a community center / room?
We don't know. When the plans were presented in the Sep. 2022 City Council meeting, the plans did not include a community room. Recently, ParkWest provided what appear to be hastily drawn plans that show a community room before the January meeting.
It is a common tactic to promise the community things the community desires. We've had this happen in the past that when the project actually gets built, they do not include them. A case-in-point is the Catalyst dispensary on Del Monte that promised a community room, but did not build it.
What can I do to stop the cardroom?
Write to the Mayor and the City Councilpersons and tell them you oppose the cardroom.
You can find their email addresses HERE
There will be a City Council meeting February 7th (Tuesday). You can attend remotely using Zoom. You can find the agenda and how to join HERE
We believe that such a consequential decision to allow new cardrooms in Marina should be put before the voters rather than decided by three people.
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