Antioch Ballot Measure E On Card Rooms Creates Controversy

ANTIOCH - Antioch voters on the June 7 ballot have to consider a controversial measure involving a clash between business and city leaders in Antioch.

Antioch's Measure E would amend the city's card room ordinance in various ways, including prohibiting card rooms from being opened within a certain vicinity to certain venues, such as alcohol or drug recovery centers or schools.

The initiative, placed on the ballot by citizens who gathered signatures, would also require that the city's voters approve any new card room or an expansion of such facilities.

Most conspicuously to the measure's opponents, which include the Antioch City Council, the initiative also effectively limits the number of card room facilities that can exist in the city to one, down from the current limit of two.

The opponents said in their ballot argument that the initiative is being supported by "out-of-town gambling interests."

"California Grand Casino in Pacheco wants to corner the market on card rooms and has launched a deceptive campaign to eliminate competition," the opponents said. They added that there already exists a "strong" card-room ordinance that city leaders believe is fair to the two card rooms that have operated in the city.

Supporters of the measure contend that the City Council did not close loopholes in Antioch's gambling laws and that fixing this is something local residents have asked for.

"The (City) Council would rather blame 'outsiders' for helping our citizens' coalition than take responsibility for issuing a gambling license to a felon and failing to fix our gambling laws," supporters of the measure said.

The measure in Antioch requires a simple majority of the vote to pass.

-Bay City News, image via ShutterStock