Complex cast of players battles over sports betting – CalMatters

Californians in November will vote on the fewest statewide ballot measures in more than a century heightening already intense attention on a pair of dueling initiatives to legalize sports betting.

Deciding whether or not to authorize sports betting in California may seem like a fairly straightforward proposition no pun intended. But understanding the ins and outs of the measures will require voters to navigate their way through what Rob Stutzman, a political consultant working on one of the campaigns, described as a confusing landscape during a Thursday press conference.

Lets dive into some of the complexities:

One ballot measure, Proposition 26, backed by some Native American tribes, would authorize in-person sports betting at tribal casinos and Californias four horse race tracks. It would also allow tribal casinos to offer roulette, craps and other dice games.

The other ballot measure, Prop. 27, backed by gaming giants including FanDuel, BetMGM and DraftKings, would permit large, well-established companies that partner with a Native American tribe to offer online sports betting.

But last week, two Native American tribes announced their support for Prop. 27 and a third, the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Yokut Tribe, followed suit this week, according to a ballot measure committee called Californians for Solutions to Homelessness and Mental Health Support and funded principally by FanDuel, BetMGM and DraftKings.

Californians for Tribal Sovereignty and Safe Gaming is a ballot measure committee focused solely on opposing Prop. 27, while the Coalition for Safe, Responsible Gaming is a ballot measure committee focused both on supporting Prop. 26 and opposing Prop. 27. The two committees are coordinating their No on 27 efforts, according to Stutzman, who is working with the Californians for Tribal Sovereignty and Safe Gaming committee.

Meanwhile, yet another ballot measure committee called Taxpayers Against Special Interest Monopolies funded principally by card rooms has formed in opposition to Prop. 26. The committee alleged in a Wednesday press release that Prop. 26 would guarantee tribal casinos a near monopoly on all gaming in California adding exclusivity over roulette, craps and sports wagering to their current monopoly on slot machines while weaponizing the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) so it can be used against tribal casino operators legally operating competition.

Altogether, the four committees on both sides of both ballot measures have already raised more than $300 million, according to CalMatters data wizard Jeremia Kimelman. If all that money is spent, it will break the record $226 million spent in 2020 over a ballot measure to exempt gig-economy companies from a controversial California labor law.

Other election news you should know:

The coronavirus bottom line: As of Monday, California had 9,500,376 confirmed cases (+0.7% from previous day) and 91,795 deaths (+0.1% from previous day), according to state data now updated just twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. CalMatters is also tracking coronavirus hospitalizations by county.

California has administered 77,630,160 vaccine doses, and 75.7% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated.

Californians of color saw a larger decrease in life expectancy than white residents during the pandemic, while the life expectancy gap between the states rich and poor residents widened, according to a study published Thursday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers found that between 2019 and 2021, the life expectancy for Latino Californians fell by almost six years, compared to nearly four years for Black Californians, three years for Asian Californians and by nearly two years for white Californians, CalMatters Jeanne Kuang reports. Meanwhile, the life expectancy gap between residents living in Californias poorest 1% of census tracts and those living in the richest 1% swelled from 11.5 to 15.5 years.

The study comes soon after Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers passed a budget deal that opens Medi-Cal, the states health care program for the poor, to all income-eligible undocumented immigrants regardless of age. But Newsom nixed for the second year in a row the creation of a Health Equity and Racial Justice Fund that would funnel millions of dollars annually to community-based groups, clinics and tribal organizations, frustrating advocates who say the governor isnt doing enough to address racial health disparities, the Los Angeles Times reports.

An estimated 3,800 more college students will soon have affordable campus housing after Newsom and lawmakers agreed to pump a portion of Californias $300 billion budget into a student program to ease a residential crisis gripping the states public universities and community colleges, CalMatters Mikhail Zinshteyn reports. This year, $1.4 billion is heading to 26 public campuses to build or expand dorms though the extra beds represent a pittance of the true needfor Californias hundreds of thousands of college students battling unstable housing. But even more affordable units could be on the way, a fact made all the more remarkable given that last year was the first time lawmakers approved major state funding to build students homes and ensure campuses keep the rents low, Mikhail writes.

Water and oil dont mix but they will in this newsletter item breaking down the latest California environmental news:

California lawmakers just opened the door to ending states abortion rights: The state Legislature made a huge mistake by giving anti-choice voters an opportunity in November to deny womens reproductive rights granted for the past 50 years, argues Wendy Voorsanger, author of Prospects of a Woman.

Some stories may require a subscription to read

The California city where police investigations take so long, officers kill again before reviews are done. // ProPublica

L.A. supervisors poised to ask voters for power to remove sheriff. // Los Angeles Times

S.F. voters might decide on big election schedule change over Mayor Breeds objections. // San Francisco Chronicle

S.F. school district used $525,000 aimed at facility improvements to pay for legal fight over controversial mural. // San Francisco Chronicle

College or career? California invests $500 million in program that tackles both. // EdSource

New California youth jobs program accepting applications. // Sacramento Bee

New San Diego contractor proposal aims to fight wage theft, but will it slow housing projects? // San Diego Union-Tribune

The balance of power is shifting in the tech industry. // Mercury News

Historic strike at homeless nonprofit? Tenderloin Housing Clinic employees veer toward unprecedented work stoppage. // San Francisco Standard

OC Board of Ed challenges Newsom over COVID-19 emergency act again. // Orange County Register

Dozens of San Diego city workers face termination for failing to comply with COVID-19 testing requirement. // San Diego Union-Tribune

Judge issues narrow injunction in challenge to Santa Clara Countys employee vaccine order. // Mercury News

As the drug overdose crisis rages, city fails to collect data needed to fight it. // San Francisco Standard

Should L.A. and Long Beach get a new deal for their powerhouse ports? // Capital & Main

Pete Buttigieg announces California airports get $100 million. // Los Angeles Times

PG&E, Tesla launch program to tackle California grid reliability concerns. // Utility Dive

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Complex cast of players battles over sports betting - CalMatters