Vegas-on-the-Bay?

Turn Alcatraz into a gambling casino? A West Coast Monte Carlo? Well, zanier things have been suggested, although none come to mind. But San Francisco supervisors recently were shocked to discover that they are facing a $172-million budget deficit. And with visions of all the money that a city-owned casino could rake in, six supervisors moved to get a June 7 advisory vote from the city electorate.

Actually, the proposal has been around for some time, being one of about 300 considered by the federal government for Alcatraz after the government closed its infamous maximum-security prison in San Francisco Bay back in 1963. In 1972 Alcatraz was incorporated by Congress pretty much as it was into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which is administered by the National Park Service.

Named for the pelican, the 12-acre island was surveyed by the Spanish in 1775. The island became an Army fortress in 1853, and was converted into a military prison in 1861 and then into a federal penitentiary in 1934.

The casino idea was revived last fall as part of newspaper columnist Warren Hinckle’s quixotic campaign for mayor, and got rolling again at a recent gathering at a Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant attended by Supervisor Richard Hongisto. “There was wine and jokes and a lot of laughter,” said Hongisto--a mood that apparently carried over into the supervisors’ meeting. They have a fun way of doing things in The City.

The risk of Alcatraz becoming Vegas-on-the-Bay is slight, though. The state Constitution would have to be amended, and the federal government would have to be persuaded to sell Alcatraz to the city. Forget that, says National Park Director William Penn Mott Jr. Another Park Service official said: “It is staggering to think that the supervisors can take a precipitous action without studying the matter or considering the consequences.” He clearly is a newcomer to San Francisco.