August 2024
Honorable Chair Buffy Wicks
Assembly Appropriations Committee
1020 N Street, Room 8220
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: STRONG OPPOSE to SB 549 (Newman)
Dear Chair Wicks, Assembly Appropriations Committee Members and Members of the Legislature, I am writing on behalf of the City of Commerce to ask that you vote NO on Senate Bill 549 by Senator Josh Newman.
This bill is just another attempt by a few of the wealthy gaming tribes to remove their competition – California cardrooms. Many cities like ours rely on cardrooms for the jobs and needed tax revenues for our vital city services. Without their revenues and the thousands of jobs they provide, communities across California will be significantly harmed.
These taxes fund a portion of their cities’ services – such as police, fire, housing, senior services or parks and recreation. We had a preview of what our cities would experience without gaming tax revenue and jobs and it was painful with cuts and lay-offs.
Cardrooms are highly regulated by a state regulatory agency, the State Attorney General and local governments that strictly monitor and enforce gambling laws and other legal violations. The games played by cardrooms are approved by the California Department of Justice and have been approved for decades.
There is no reason for this legislation unless its another way to try and shut down the cardrooms and take the market share for the table games. We have seen this time and again where most recently voters 2:1 rejected their attempt at filing lawsuits against cardrooms as a way to end their competition.
Our city relies on cardrooms to help fund the services we need to provide to residents and our cardroom is an integral part of our community.
We ask you to REJECT SB 549.
Thank you,
CC: Members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee
Members of the State Legislature