Are Vallejoans in favor or against it? – Times Herald Online

Following the Department of Interior land trust approval for the $700 million Scotts Valley Casino, it’s clear that its potential has sparked local debate.

The proposed 160-acre site — currently occupied by rolling green hills and a horse boarding facility — would sit directly in residents’ backyards.

The project, sought by the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, has its fiscal, environmental, and even ethical impacts being questioned among locals.

While there is hope that its construction would guarantee a more robust local job market and increase cash flow for its surrounding businesses, fear remains that a casino could bring with it an uptick in crime.

With the Vallejo Police Department understaffed and suffering from fiscal shortfalls, a handful of residents feel that a casino is simply too much for local law enforcement to handle.

“It’s been proven that there is a 100 percent markup in calls-for-service where you have gambling,” said Vallejo’s Paula Conley. “We don’t need more of that.”

With pressing issues like prostitution, homelessness, sideshows, and theft, “Vallejo is lawless right now,” she said, “and it has been for a long time. We don’t need a 24/7 hour gambling spot.”

Resident Jimmy Genn recalls the negative impact that the construction of a tribal casino had on his community growing up.

“The tribe says crime will not spill out in the surrounding areas. My hometown’s experience is that it does,” he said.

“We will have no jurisdiction,” stresses Genn. “The acreage becomes a sovereign nation. Casinos are more trouble in the surrounding areas than they are worth.”

Some residents, on the other hand, are drawn to the economic boost that can come from a project of such magnitude. Rising property value, tourism revenue, and an influx of foot traffic for local businesses are just a few of the benefits discussed among residents leaning to the “pro” casino side.

“The city could lean into it,” said former business owner Kimberly Pelham. “Imagine people coming across from the ferry, bringing their money, gambling for the night, and spending earnings at the restaurants there at the retail, Costco, and downtown businesses,” she said.

She also feels that a casino has the potential to strengthen the local job market and pave the way for more lucrative roles. From entry-level to executive positions–housekeeping, retail, management, entertainment, and construction–there are hundreds of roles necessary to a casino’s day-to-day operations.

To her disapproval, Pelham says that unlike local employers, a casino “would help create higher paying jobs and increase sales tax, which we all need.”

Others, like retired Realtor and former Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce board member Jeanette Mandap, are hopeful that a casino could usher in a new wave of nightlife for the city.

Living just a few miles shy from the casino’s proposed site, “there would finally be things to do,” laughs Mandap.

With Vallejo at a loss for adult entertainment options, she feels that many times residents are forced to look elsewhere in surrounding cities. With a casino, however, “I wouldn’t have to drive far and there would be more restaurants, shows, entertainment,” says Mandap. “How could I not be excited?”

Other residents, however, are still on the fence.

While growing up in Las Vegas, resident Jamie Barnhart was exposed to the duality of a casino — its harmful effects on surrounding community, and its untapped economic potential.

The decision, she says, is in the hands of the city.

She says increased security, addiction counseling support, and watchful eyes on surrounding communities will be necessary.

But the resident warned that, even then, a local casino is a slippery slope that can “go either way.”

Besides a casino’s economic benefits, Barnhart has witnessed the tragedy that can occur when entities involving gambling, addiction, and alcohol go unchecked.

When residents “go overboard,” as she described, at the bars and blackjack tables “it can get pretty devastating for their families.”

“Vallejo as a community has been struggling for a long time,” but having a facility that would draw more attraction to the community and stimulate the local economy “could be amazing,” she said.

But given the city’s “struggling presence of police force” and state of crime, “it could very well go in the opposite direction if not handled properly,” urges Barnhart.