Casino project is the right move for Richmond
By Judith Morgan
Guest Commentary
10/16/2010
MEASURE U could open the door to long-term economic recovery. For those of us in the Richmond business community, support for Measure U and the Point Molate Destination Resort is a no-brainer.
Business retention and attraction in Richmond have been anemic for years. Currently there are no major prospective employers seeking to plant roots in our community.
The Point Molate Destination Resort, however, could be the stimulus Richmond needs to fundamentally transform its economic future.
Our city struggles with 18 percent unemployment; compounding the problem are a mayor and certain City Council members seemingly dedicated to chasing business out of town and exacerbating local unemployment. Their opposition to the Point Molate project is well documented, and it is deeply discouraging.
Conversely, Contra Costa County's 11.3 percent unemployment rate reflects more than 59,000 jobless residents. The Board of Supervisors, however, is actually business savvy and unanimously supports the Point Molate project.
At the request of the city, the Guidiville Tribe and Upstream-Point Molate assembled the $1 billion Point Molate Destination Resort project, consistent with the economic development goals of the Dellums legislation that conveyed the land to the city.
The project included a concrete plan to put thousands back to work and lead the local economy recovery all at no cost to taxpayers. We enthusiastically embraced the project.
The tribe's and Upstream's commitment includes a binding and enforceable legal agreement with the city that includes 40 percent first-source and living-wage hiring provisions for Richmond residents, meaning Richmond residents will be given preference for the thousands of jobs this project will create directly.
Even more, the preferred hire rate climbs to 70 percent for Contra Costa County residents, many from West County. This scale and level of local hiring is unprecedented and there are realistic plans to accomplish this goal.
Project proponents also are working with local nonprofits to offer job and pre-apprentice training for prospective employees, skills that will better prepare the workforce as the larger economy recovers.
These jobs are real; many are the kinds of jobs high school graduates can attain. There are nearly 60,000 Californians working for California tribal governments today. Since 1988, California tribes have contributed hundreds of millions to our state economy, local charities, local police and fire, and city and county coffers.
The opportunities this project presents to local businesses are many and they reach far beyond Point Molate's borders.
By injecting the local economy with a $1 billion private investment, thousands more jobs will be created indirectly by dozens of local businesses contracted by the resort's hotel/spa, shopping and dining establishments to provide tens of millions of dollars in goods and services annually.
And beyond those, thousands more "induced" jobs will be created by project and vendor employees patronizing local Richmond and West County businesses.
The Point Molate Destination Resort makes perfect business sense; by taking just a few moments to learn more about this project, it becomes readily apparent that this development alone could start an economic ripple felt by hundreds if not thousands of local businesses.
And why not support the project? Card clubs and no-growth advocates cite potential project-related crime and gambling, even though the Richmond Police Officers Association and Contra Costa County Sheriff both concluded the project's local hiring, dollars for law enforcement, and remote location will all work to reduce crime. And problem gambling? With San Pablo Casino, free casino buses throughout the region, and the state lottery on every corner, the project would not make problem gambling any worse.
Link to complete article: http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_16348889?nclick_check=1
