The city of San Jose, California, receives some $30 million in taxes each year from commercial card rooms, providing vital funding for police and emergency service personnel. But if Governor Gavin Newsom signs a bill allowing tribes that operate casinos to sue these card rooms, that funding could be in jeopardy.
State Assemblyman Evan Low represents the district that includes San Jose, and he’s also running for Congress. And some are wondering why, exactly, Low twice voted to support the tribal lawsuit measure despite voicing concerns “about the potential for the loss of revenue and also the loss of jobs.”
Could a subsequent $60,000 radio ad buy facilitated by a casino-operating tribe near San Diego have influenced Low’s thinking? That’s what his critics are claiming, according to an in-depth article published by CalMatters.
“Even though there was probably no coordination between Evan Low and this [tribe], I can probably guarantee you they wouldn’t have spent that money if Assemblymember Low didn’t vote for their interests,” said Sean McMorris, a program manager for California Common Cause.
If there was some sort of quid pro quo involved in Low’s vote, that would be illegal. But Tauri Bigknife, the attorney general for the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, insists there wasn’t.
“It’s not payback,” said Bigknife, who noted that the tribe donated money to Low before he cast his votes. “It’s not buying a vote. It’s none of those things. There’s no there, there, OK? It’s supporting someone that we’ve had a longstanding relationship with.”
A Very Expensive Lobbying Effort
Because tribes are their own sovereign governments, they lack the ability to sue commercial card rooms over a longstanding claim that California voters have granted tribes exclusive rights to host gambling on card games such as blackjack and poker.
Their efforts to pass this measure, as well as those by opponents, have resulted in one of the most expensive legislative battles in Golden State history. CalMatters reported that, since January 2023, $4.3 million has been donated to 120 lawmakers urging support of or opposition to the measure, with tribal interests outspending their opponents.
As a state legislator, Low has received at least $18,100 from tribes and $12,000 from card rooms since 2023. Since he cast his votes in favor of tribal casinos' right to sue, the card rooms have paid for a billboard near San Jose’s airport criticizing Low for costing the community tax revenue.
