Voters Reject Proposal to Build Card Casino in Irwindale

Voters in Irwindale on Tuesday rejected a proposed card club, shuffling aside casino promoters’ promises of new jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue.

“It shows the city of Irwindale isn’t going to sell out to anyone,” said Mayor Julian Miranda.

The no vote was 280 and the yes vote was 192, with 62% of Irwindale’s 760 voters turning out to cast ballots. Most walked from their homes on the dozen or so streets surrounding City Hall.

The decision by residents of this city of just 1,050 followed a fiery campaign that polarized longtime residents and divided families who trace their roots to Irwindale’s founders. Voters in Pomona, South El Monte, Bellflower, Pico Rivera, West Hollywood, Stanton and Cypress recently have turned aside similar proposals for casinos in their cities.

Before a club can be established, a vote of the city’s electorate is required by the state’s 1984 Gaming Registration Act, unless the city had a gaming ordinance before passage of the law.

The Irwindale election culminates a two-year battle of lawsuits, accusations and attack mail that pitted developers Frank Santin and Michael Meczka and their supporters against an anti-casino group and four of the five City Council members.

Card club supporters left immediately after the votes were counted and were not available for comment.

The debate in Irwindale echoed those in numerous cash-strapped Southland cities where card clubs have been proposed in the last five years.

While developers promised that the club would be a new revenue source for the city, opponents invoked religious opposition to gambling in the overwhelmingly Latino and Catholic community, saying it would bring gangs, prostitutes, loan sharks and crime to the city.

Mayor Miranda even warned about the dangers posed by outsiders, making vague references to how the city lost millions of dollars trying to lure the Los Angeles Raiders football franchise eight years ago.

Santin and Meczka’s proposal called for a 60,000-square-foot club that would cater to about 3,000 customers daily.

The developers promised the city 500 new jobs and $3 million annually in taxes from the club to help maintain perks offered to city residents. Those perks include low-cost prescriptions, free haircuts for seniors, tutorial programs for children, grants for home repairs, low-cost excursions and even cheap houses.