A host of cities in Los Angeles County applauded a state Superior Court decision last week that came with serious business implications for those communities.
A San Francisco judge struck down regulations endorsed by Attorney General Rob Bonta that would have made changes to how cardrooms operate blackjack and blackjack-style games. This would have required them to redesign or eliminate the affected games.
The regulations generated immediate opposition from a slate of L.A. County cities, including Commerce, Bell Gardens, Hawaiian Gardens and Compton. Those cities are part of the California Cities for Self-Reliance Joint Powers Authority, which filed an amicus brief in support of the legal challenge.
The JPA pointed out the state’s own assessment had the potential of cutting statewide cardroom revenues in half.
“For many of our communities, cardroom revenue is critical to maintaining police, fire protection, parks, youth programs and other basic city services,” said Juan Garza, executive director of the JPA, in a statement. “We are grateful the court recognized, by clear and convincing evidence, the serious and lasting harm these regulations would have caused our cities, our workers and residents throughout California.”
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The downtown-based Weingart Foundation last week made two appointments to its board of directors – Isabel Casillas Guzman and Joseph Tomás McKellar.
Casillas Guzman served as head of the Small Business Administration under President Joe Biden. She has since founded consultancy Avenida Advisors based in downtown.
“What inspires me about the Weingart Foundation is its belief in the potential of every community and its commitment to investing in leaders and organizations creating pathways to opportunity and justice,” Caillas Guzman said.
McKellar is the executive director of Boyle Heights-based Pico California, a faith-based community organizing network.
“I have long admired the Weingart Foundation’s commitment to supporting the organizations, leaders and movements working to expand opportunity and strengthen communities across Southern California,” said McKellar
