Opposition to Proposal for Card Club

Mr. Lloyd Arnold and partners have announced a $1-million advanced education fund for Cypress schoolchildren (Newswatch, April 23) if Cypress voters approve their card club on June 8.

My answer as a trustee of the North Orange County Community College District that includes Cypress College, is: You will never persuade me to approve a curriculum at the college to teach our students how to deal a deck of cards.

Mr. Arnold and partners have made many promises, contingent on approval of their card club. Where will this money come from? It will come from their marketing scheme to attract people from our family-oriented communities to become gamblers as well as attracting hard-core gamblers from communities in Los Angeles County that already have card clubs.

It is interesting that at a time when our commercial and industrial economy is down and people are losing their jobs, Mr. Arnold persuaded the majority of the Cypress City Council to place a measure on the ballot that, if approved, will establish a 24-hour, year-round card club in Cypress. If commerce and industries produce consumer services and products, what will a card club produce? It will produce a few winners and a bunch of losers. Mr. Arnold and partners will walk away winners with millions of dollars in profits, while many of the losers will fail to pay their legitimate business debts.

As a business owner in Cypress, a card club is a losing proposition for my company.

As a businessman, I doubt that our first-class business park will continue to grow next to a card club. We need to promote the growth of our business park to provide more jobs for our citizens and the funds necessary to run city services.

As a former member of the Cypress City Council, I know there are better ways to balance the city budget than with a card club. Our bad economy has affected everyone including government. Remember the old saying, “There is no free lunch”? If this measure is approved, I am afraid that the citizens of Cypress will ultimately pay for the lunch. I am voting “no” on the card club.

OTTO J. LACAYO

Cypress