Unable to assemble a quorum for a live meeting, the City Council will “meet” via conference call this morning at 9:00 AM in an executive session to discuss what the Agenda describes as “CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL: EXISTING LITIGATION (Government Code Section 54956.9) One Case: Chevron vs. City of Richmond.”

Meanwhile, press from around the state continues to cover local ramifications of action by the governor and legislature on various Indian gaming proposals. I continue to receive input from Richmond Citizens about the future of Point Molate as described by the Upstream proposal, still roughly divided pro and con. I have received only two critiques of the proposed Land Disposition and Development Agreement with Upstream Investments, but I had hope to have received more, considering the level of interest.

The following news stories can be viewed by clicking on the underlined portions.

Legislators unwilling to gamble
Bipartisan opposition on Tuesday threatened to sink Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest package of gambling accords -- including one that would plant a Nevada-sized casino in San Pablo.
By Kate Folmar / TIMES SACRAMENTO BUREAU

Legislators may not ratify pact for San Pablo casino / Administration fails to win converts in party caucuses -- A deal between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a Bay Area Indian tribe to build a 2,500-slot casino in San Pablo remains imperiled in the Assembly, with members of both parties saying the state has done little to assure them the gaming hall won't create a regional nightmare. John M. Hubbell in the San Francisco Chronicle Kate Folmar in the San Jose Mercury -- 8/25/04

'Ghost' tribe may contest East Bay casino pact -- The deal Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger struck Monday with an Indian tribe for a Nevada-style casino in the East Bay is coming under fire from another, anonymous tribe with casino dreams of its own. And if this anonymous tribe can't build enough public opposition to the compact proposed for the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians, it might sue, its lawyer said Tuesday. Josh Richman in the Oakland Tribune -- 8/25/04

California on Path to Become Nation's Gambling Capital -- A state once skeptical of wagering is in the midst of a gambling boom that could double casino revenue in coming years. In time, according to gambling industry officials and economists, the Golden State almost surely will pass Nevada as the nation's biggest gambling venue. Dan Morain in the Los Angeles Times -- 8/25/04

Garden Grove Says 'No Dice' to Casino -- Council members unanimously reject the proposal, saying it wouldn't fit now that the city has cleaned up its image. Kimi Yoshino in the Los Angeles Times Nguyen Huy Vu in the Orange County Register -- 8/25/04

Recall of officials loses by wide margin / Casino foes began initiative against 2 council members -- Voters in Rohnert Park rejected the recall of two City Council members in a special election Tuesday sparked by a proposed Indian casino just west of city limits. Final returns showed the recall lost by a wide margin. Pamela J. Podger in the San Francisco Chronicle Herbert A. Sample in the Sacramento Bee Clark Mason in the Santa Rosa Press -- 8/25/04

Ex-finance director backs Indian-supported Prop. 70 -- A Southern California Indian tribe trotted out a former state finance director Tuesday to buttress its case that a "fair share" of revenues from the tribe's November casino initiative is more fair to taxpayers than the fair share envisioned by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's new casino compacts. At a news conference convened at a Sacramento hotel, pro-Proposition 70 forces said that according to numbers crunched by Jesse Huff, who was finance director under Gov. George Deukmejian, their initiative would generate $1.95 billion in revenues to the state over its first five years. Steve Wiegand in the Sacramento Bee -- 8/25/04