National City Tells Hardie to Gather Signatures for Card Room

Reacting to strong opposition from local residents, the National City Council voted Tuesday to require casino owner George Hardie to collect the necessary signatures for a ballot measure that would allow him to build a card room in the city.

The surprise vote ended months of acrimonious debate spurred by opponents who charged that the controversial Hardie was currying special favors from the council. Hardie, who is managing partner of a Los Angeles-area casino, had asked the council early in 1989 to call a special election to repeal the existing ban on card rooms in National City.

The council was ready to sanction the special election in November, until local activists forged a coalition to stop it and began pressuring council members. Mayor George Waters postponed a decision on the issue until Tuesday, when the council instead voted unanimously to force Hardie to collect the signatures necessary to put the measure to voters.

Hardie’s Bicycle Club, a casino in Bell Gardens, is said to be the biggest card room in the world. He wants to build a $35-million high-rise hotel in National City that would include an 80-table card room.

“The voters should have a chance to vote on the issue,” said Councilman Michael Dalla. But having the council approve a special election would be sending the wrong message, he added.

“It would be sending a false message to the people . . . that it was a council-sponsored initiative,” Dalla said.

After the vote, Hardie said he would have to “analyze” the council’s move before deciding whether to collect the approximately 2,200 signatures needed to put the issue on the ballot. He said that collecting the signatures would probably not be a problem and that he and his financial backers may have the signatures in time to put the proposal on the June ballot.

Before the vote, Hardie warned the council that, if he was forced to collect signatures, he would withdraw an offer to finance the cost of the election. He had offered to pay the cost of a special election if it was approved by the City Council.

By collecting the necessary signatures, Hardie said, he would also be able to write the ordinance regulating card rooms if the present ban is overturned by voters.

“I was surprised that they didn’t want to retain control over the ordinance,” Hardie said.