SACRAMENTO – Democratic state lawmakers carrying bills that would launch a massive expansion of Indian gambling in California have benefited from $1.6 million in tribal donations in recent years, according to an Associated Press review of campaign finance reports.
The contributions helped Democratic state senators’ campaigns and political causes, either directly or through donations to independent committees that supported them.
The review of tribal donations comes as the Legislature is considering a series of gambling-expansion bills similar to ones that died last year when they had Republican sponsors. The bills returned this year with new sponsors, all members of the Legislature’s majority Democratic party.
The donations raise questions about how closely the Democrat-controlled Senate will scrutinize the bills. Critics say the agreements with the casinos will not deliver as much tax revenue as promised.
During a recent legislative hearing, questions surfaced about whether the agreements would limit the state’s ability to test whether slot machines were being run fairly and would roll back union protections for casino workers.
Sen. Denise Ducheny, D-San Diego, author of two other casino expansion bills and chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee, has taken more than $49,000 from tribes since 2000.
Republican authors of last year’s casino-expansion bills took similarly large donations from tribes. By switching sponsorship of the bills to Democratic lawmakers, gambling tribes may have a better chance of getting the bills passed, at least in the Senate.
The tribes turned to Democrats last year after their Republican allies failed to win approval for the expansion of Indian gambling. The tribes had struck the deals with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who agreed to renegotiate compacts originally signed under former Gov. Gray Davis.
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