Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Auditor Goes All-Medieval On Yolo And Amador Counties

Apparently Yolo and Amador Counties have sometimes been using casino money as a slush fund for badly-needed services. And why shouldn't they? What's a casino good for, after all?

If someone didn't grant counties the proper authorization to use the money this way, in ways sometimes not directly associated with casino impacts, they should do so, ASAP. Especially with Amador County. Please! Policing demands directly associated with the casino are direct casino impacts! Does someone have a problem with this?:
California local governments, including Yolo and Amador counties, are misusing or failing to justify money they get from local Indian casinos, the state auditor reported Tuesday.

...In a stern response, Ryan wrote that his office "takes great pride in the fact that we closely track casino-related events that impact public safety." He said Amador authorities in 2008 responded to 413 incidents on casino grounds, where 46 arrests and 359 casino-related traffic stops were made. An additional 17 arrests were made off casino property.

Ryan said the audit's findings that the county couldn't account for its law enforcement costs "impugns the integrity of the professional men and women of the Amador County Sheriff's Office."

In Yolo County, home of Cache Creek Casino Resort, the audit determined that a local tribal fund didn't have the authority to grant funds to the local Esparto Unified School District for computer education, student transportation, athletics and an academic decathlon competition. The audit said school districts are not eligible to receive grants from the Indian Gaming Distribution Fund.

The report suggested that the Legislature consider amending laws governing the fund to allow tribes to sponsor a wider range of community programs, regardless of whether they were impacted by the presence of a casino.

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