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Newsom greases skids for Indian casinos
The role of the Calif. Assembly ‘juice’ committee
On October 14 of last year, eight Republican legislators tucked into a free meal valued at $127.92 each and provided by the Viejas Casino’s Grove Steakhouse in San Diego County.
High-stakes steakhouse
On October 14 of last year — fewer than three weeks after Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Senate Bill 359 on September 28, allowing the state’s casino owning Native American tribes to sue card rooms for offering black jack and Pai Gow poker games that threatened the tribes’ lucrative gusher of gambling revenue — eight Republican legislators tucked into a free meal valued at $127.92 each and provided by the Viejas Casino’s Grove Steakhouse in San Diego County. For Viejas, the newly signed SB 359 was big reason to celebrate with their Republican dinner guests. Because the tribes are sovereign governments, they lacked legal standing to sue the state’s 80 or so privately-owned gambling halls.
Did Gavin Newsom sign a law that garnered red meat for Republicans?
“The bill gave tribes a three-month window to sue card rooms starting Jan. 1,” reported the California news website CalMatters in a January 3, 2025 dispatch. But the tribes’ gain was a big loss for the card rooms. “The stakes are high, since some cities receive nearly half of their budgets from taxes on card rooms, meaning a tribal victory in court could jeopardize money for police, firefighters, and other local services.”
Three among the Viejas food and drink beneficiaries who made SB 359 possible were members of the Assembly’s notorious Governmental Organization standing committee. “The Governmental Organization Committee is known as a juice committee, which typically considers high-stakes legislation for businesses likely to try and influence the vote by donating to committee members,” CalMatters reported in a post in July of last year as the bill made its way through the legislature.
“The committee has twice as many members as most legislative committees, and it provides the leaders who make committee assignments with a way to reward political allies. ‘That’s why they’re called “juice committees,” so you can squeeze the money out,’ said Stacy Fisher, a former political scientist who studied juice committees as a professor at University of Nevada, Reno.” Committee members voting for the casino-favored bill who subsequently attended the October celebratory dinner thrown by Viejas included Assembly members Tri Ta, Gregg Wallis, and Diane Dixon. Others at the freebie dinner, per a Viejas lobbyist filing, included GOP Assembly members Juan Alanis, Alexandra Macedo, Heath Flora, and Laurie Davies, along with Republican Senator Kelly Seyarto. In addition to the free meal, Seyarto got another freebie associated with the event. “Additional vendor paid: Willows Hotel & Spa ($240.00, Willows Road, Alpine, CA 91901),” says the Viejas disclosure. “Received benefit of hotel: Senator Kelly Seyarto.”
Stacy Fisher, spilling the tea on juice committees.
The tribes haven’t wasted any time taking advantage of their custom-drawn legislation. “On their first opportunity since a new law took effect Jan. 1, seven casino-owning Native American tribes filed suit in Sacramento County Thursday against dozens of California card rooms, opening a new front in one of last year’s most expensive political battles,” CalMatters reported January 3. “A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, many of them with large tribal casinos in their districts, pushed for the gambling measure, while a smaller group of lawmakers with card rooms in their districts opposed it. It followed a failed 2022 sports betting initiative that the tribes spent millions of dollars to sponsor and that included a similar provision that would have let the tribes sue. The opposing gambling interests donated at least $4.3 million to the 120 members of the Legislature since January 2023, according to the Digital Democracy database.”
Gloria’s gifts
San Diego Democratic mayor Todd Gloria, who beat off a challenge to his re-election last year — funded in part with a million-dollar contribution to the Lincoln Club by a low-key Point Loma lawyer — managed to fit in some free overseas travel during 2024. During a four-day period beginning June 25, according to Gloria’s January 16 annual personal interest filing required under California law, the mayor took off for China, where he “Made a Speech/Participated in a Panel.” Paying the hefty $13,069 tab for the junket was the non-profit San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
A June 25 report by KNSD TV said that Gloria had “participated in farewell ceremonies for the two giant pandas coming to the San Diego Zoo under a research and conservation agreement.” In addition, the mayor received a track suit said to be worth $72.77 from the Gyeonggi-do Sports Council of Suwon, South Korea on May 15 and an $87.32 silverware set from Siheung City, also in South Korea, the same day. On October 31, 2023, Gloria wrote in his X account: “San Diego and Siheung have a lot in common — including world-class education institutions and a vibrant local economy. Today, we signed a MOU with Mayor Lim of Siheung City to enhance collaboration and economic development. I look forward to growing this partnership.” The mayor also reported getting $67 worth of pastries from Chinese ambassador Xie Feng on September 19, and a Las Vegas trip from the Biden-Harris reelection campaign on March 28. The Harris-Walz campaign paid for a $225 expense involving another Las Vegas trip on September 28. Gloria also got $756 from the Combat Hate Foundation for two days beginning December 11, the filing shows. Online posts show the foundation’s event was held in Beverly Hills. “Critics of the Combat Hate Foundation note that it has received funding from the Clarion Project, an organization that was labeled as anti-Muslim by the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center,” says the conservative website InfluenceWatch.
Sempra’s record juicing
Sempra, the San Diego-based utility giant that owns San Diego Gas & Electric, gave $1,033,250 to California political causes during the final half of last year, bringing the corporation’s total campaign giving to a record-breaking $2,046,737 for 2024. The year before also set a record, as noted by the Sacramento Bee in a September 23, 2023 dispatch. “An unexpected corporate utility is now the top contributor to politicians seeking state office in California, according to an analysis of campaign finance data from the first half of this year,” the report found, saying Sempra “contributed more than a quarter of a million dollars to candidates, including half of all sitting California lawmakers, in the first two quarters of 2023. Climate experts connect Sempra’s campaign spending to a legislative push to support expensive technologies that would help its subsidiaries stay in business and prolong dependence on fossil fuels, particularly hydrogen and carbon capture and storage.” The 2024 recipients of Sempra’s political money, according to the firm’s 2024 major donor report filed January 8, included Protect Neighborhood Services Now, a committee run by the San Diego Municipal Employees Association, which got $35,000. The employee group spent heavily on an ultimately defeated measure to raise San Diego sales taxes.
— Matt Potter
The Reader offers $25 for news tips published in this column. Call our voice mail at 619-235-3000, ext. 440, or sandiegoreader.com/staff/matt-potter/contact/.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Newsom greases skids for Indian casinos
The role of the Calif. Assembly ‘juice’ committee
Newsom greases skids for Indian casinos
The role of the Calif. Assembly ‘juice’ committee
On October 14 of last year, eight Republican legislators tucked into a free meal valued at $127.92 each and provided by the Viejas Casino’s Grove Steakhouse in San Diego County.
High-stakes steakhouse
On October 14 of last year — fewer than three weeks after Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Senate Bill 359 on September 28, allowing the state’s casino owning Native American tribes to sue card rooms for offering black jack and Pai Gow poker games that threatened the tribes’ lucrative gusher of gambling revenue — eight Republican legislators tucked into a free meal valued at $127.92 each and provided by the Viejas Casino’s Grove Steakhouse in San Diego County. For Viejas, the newly signed SB 359 was big reason to celebrate with their Republican dinner guests. Because the tribes are sovereign governments, they lacked legal standing to sue the state’s 80 or so privately-owned gambling halls.
Did Gavin Newsom sign a law that garnered red meat for Republicans?
“The bill gave tribes a three-month window to sue card rooms starting Jan. 1,” reported the California news website CalMatters in a January 3, 2025 dispatch. But the tribes’ gain was a big loss for the card rooms. “The stakes are high, since some cities receive nearly half of their budgets from taxes on card rooms, meaning a tribal victory in court could jeopardize money for police, firefighters, and other local services.”
Three among the Viejas food and drink beneficiaries who made SB 359 possible were members of the Assembly’s notorious Governmental Organization standing committee. “The Governmental Organization Committee is known as a juice committee, which typically considers high-stakes legislation for businesses likely to try and influence the vote by donating to committee members,” CalMatters reported in a post in July of last year as the bill made its way through the legislature.
“The committee has twice as many members as most legislative committees, and it provides the leaders who make committee assignments with a way to reward political allies. ‘That’s why they’re called “juice committees,” so you can squeeze the money out,’ said Stacy Fisher, a former political scientist who studied juice committees as a professor at University of Nevada, Reno.” Committee members voting for the casino-favored bill who subsequently attended the October celebratory dinner thrown by Viejas included Assembly members Tri Ta, Gregg Wallis, and Diane Dixon. Others at the freebie dinner, per a Viejas lobbyist filing, included GOP Assembly members Juan Alanis, Alexandra Macedo, Heath Flora, and Laurie Davies, along with Republican Senator Kelly Seyarto. In addition to the free meal, Seyarto got another freebie associated with the event. “Additional vendor paid: Willows Hotel & Spa ($240.00, Willows Road, Alpine, CA 91901),” says the Viejas disclosure. “Received benefit of hotel: Senator Kelly Seyarto.”
Stacy Fisher, spilling the tea on juice committees.
The tribes haven’t wasted any time taking advantage of their custom-drawn legislation. “On their first opportunity since a new law took effect Jan. 1, seven casino-owning Native American tribes filed suit in Sacramento County Thursday against dozens of California card rooms, opening a new front in one of last year’s most expensive political battles,” CalMatters reported January 3. “A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, many of them with large tribal casinos in their districts, pushed for the gambling measure, while a smaller group of lawmakers with card rooms in their districts opposed it. It followed a failed 2022 sports betting initiative that the tribes spent millions of dollars to sponsor and that included a similar provision that would have let the tribes sue. The opposing gambling interests donated at least $4.3 million to the 120 members of the Legislature since January 2023, according to the Digital Democracy database.”
Gloria’s gifts
San Diego Democratic mayor Todd Gloria, who beat off a challenge to his re-election last year — funded in part with a million-dollar contribution to the Lincoln Club by a low-key Point Loma lawyer — managed to fit in some free overseas travel during 2024. During a four-day period beginning June 25, according to Gloria’s January 16 annual personal interest filing required under California law, the mayor took off for China, where he “Made a Speech/Participated in a Panel.” Paying the hefty $13,069 tab for the junket was the non-profit San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
A June 25 report by KNSD TV said that Gloria had “participated in farewell ceremonies for the two giant pandas coming to the San Diego Zoo under a research and conservation agreement.” In addition, the mayor received a track suit said to be worth $72.77 from the Gyeonggi-do Sports Council of Suwon, South Korea on May 15 and an $87.32 silverware set from Siheung City, also in South Korea, the same day. On October 31, 2023, Gloria wrote in his X account: “San Diego and Siheung have a lot in common — including world-class education institutions and a vibrant local economy. Today, we signed a MOU with Mayor Lim of Siheung City to enhance collaboration and economic development. I look forward to growing this partnership.” The mayor also reported getting $67 worth of pastries from Chinese ambassador Xie Feng on September 19, and a Las Vegas trip from the Biden-Harris reelection campaign on March 28. The Harris-Walz campaign paid for a $225 expense involving another Las Vegas trip on September 28. Gloria also got $756 from the Combat Hate Foundation for two days beginning December 11, the filing shows. Online posts show the foundation’s event was held in Beverly Hills. “Critics of the Combat Hate Foundation note that it has received funding from the Clarion Project, an organization that was labeled as anti-Muslim by the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center,” says the conservative website InfluenceWatch.
Sempra’s record juicing
Sempra, the San Diego-based utility giant that owns San Diego Gas & Electric, gave $1,033,250 to California political causes during the final half of last year, bringing the corporation’s total campaign giving to a record-breaking $2,046,737 for 2024. The year before also set a record, as noted by the Sacramento Bee in a September 23, 2023 dispatch. “An unexpected corporate utility is now the top contributor to politicians seeking state office in California, according to an analysis of campaign finance data from the first half of this year,” the report found, saying Sempra “contributed more than a quarter of a million dollars to candidates, including half of all sitting California lawmakers, in the first two quarters of 2023. Climate experts connect Sempra’s campaign spending to a legislative push to support expensive technologies that would help its subsidiaries stay in business and prolong dependence on fossil fuels, particularly hydrogen and carbon capture and storage.” The 2024 recipients of Sempra’s political money, according to the firm’s 2024 major donor report filed January 8, included Protect Neighborhood Services Now, a committee run by the San Diego Municipal Employees Association, which got $35,000. The employee group spent heavily on an ultimately defeated measure to raise San Diego sales taxes.
— Matt Potter
The Reader offers $25 for news tips published in this column. Call our voice mail at 619-235-3000, ext. 440, or sandiegoreader.com/staff/matt-potter/contact/.
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