Last week, I attended a brainstorming session at City Hall. The purpose of the gathering was for ideas to help Downtown during the recession. The group included the Downtown Association, land owners, developers, business owners, arts advocates and others. Individuals presented their ideas to the group. One example was sponsoring an overnight camp-out in Downtown parks by the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Another was closing SOFA to cars every Friday allowing for a pedestrian-oriented evening. Other ideas included a 24-hour theater festival, music festivals, murals and free parking. And another was that the city could give away free Downtown land for an architectural design contest.
I thought to myself, “What could we do during a long-term recession that costs the city zero dollars and would actually bring more revenue to the city?” My idea: allow card rooms to locate in Downtown again. Downtown originally had a card club that moved to the suburbs.
No new card clubs are allowed to open in California. San Jose has two card clubs grandfathered by state law that are allowed to stay open indefinitely. The two card clubs bring approximately $13 million in tax revenue to San Jose every year. That money pays for a lot of serviecs; for example, half of our citywide library budget, or 21 miles of road paving, or 3,200 wheelchair ramps on street corners (we have over 60,000 street corners). In addition to generating nearly $13 million for the city, the card clubs also must pay for the cost of police to regulate them, which is about $2 million annually.
Currently, our two legal card clubs are not allowed to move; therefore, they are forced to stay in the same location and pay a higher rent every year since the landlord knows they are not allowed to move.
At the session, I suggested we allow one of the card clubs to move downtown adjacent to our convention center. As I mentioned above, card clubs are a profitable legal business that bring money to the City. In fact, I believe that there would be a big incentive to move Downtown that could help pay for the upcoming convention center expansion. Perhaps if San Jose would seriously consider this idea, we could put a card club at the base of a new hotel Downtown on top of an expanded convention center where the $5 million “tent” is located on Market and Viola.
When conventioneers come to Downtown they roam around after the convention events and maybe have dinner, maybe see a movie and then go to bed. I believe we should allow the option of playing poker for those conventioneers that choose to do so. Card games have grown more popular with celebrity poker on television. I believe that a card club Downtown adjacent to the Convention Center would bring increased revenues since I believe they would have increased customers. The city would have new net revenues that could be used to lower our deficit.
There are some who find gambling immoral. However, not everyone finds gambling immoral; therefore, its important that we keep in mind that gambling is legal, is a pastime that both women and men can equally participate in, and gambling gives the city a significant amount of revenue each year. We already have a well policed Downtown and the card club could and would contribute to Downtown policing since it pays $2 million for police today.
Some may worry that there will be some Atlantic City down-on-their-luck folks roaming Downtown. If that did occur, is that any worse then today’s situation of homeless individuals and drug dealers from the East Bay that are Downtown today? Is it any worse then the two people who I came upon Friday night on South 2nd Street that had been stabbed multiple times in the SOFA district? Gambling will continue regardless of strong opinions, just like the legal consumption of alcohol. One only needs a web browser to play internet poker, or one can drive to one of California’s 60 Indian casino’s, Lake Tahoe, Reno, Las Vegas or simply go to friends’ homes and play cards.
I was asked, why not allow a card club in Willow Glen? My answer was “because Willow Glen does not have a convention center and seven hotels.” The publicly funded Downtown is for everyone.
Why not allow a popular legal business to move next to the convention center and allow out-of-town visitors to spend their money in San Jose? We collect money from visitors all the time with the Transit Occupancy Tax (Hotel Tax), Airport Fees, Rental Car fees,etc….For local customers who choose to gamble, they would bring more revenue to the City by utilizing the parking garages.
What are your thoughts about moving the legal card clubs back to the Downtown where they originated?
This sounds like a solid idea to me and it would be another feather in the cap of DTSJ, providing much more money to us than it costs. The anti-gambling argument is valid in general, but not so much when applied strictly to this brand of gaming. There is a great sense of strategy and overall participation involved. Playing is an activity. It’s unlike a dog track, sports book or slot machines, all of which reek of zombies in despair.
Pierluigi,
Your idea is excellent – allowing card clubs in the Downtown area would definitely increase business traffic in general.
It is interesting how many of our past and present politicians have turned up their noses regarding card rooms. We will have finally reached the point of financial desperation if a Council vote ratifies your suggestion. Even so, I wish you the best in this endeavor.
Excellent idea!!!!
Wait a minute. You article is about moving a card club downtown and, in the course of your writing, you mention you cam across two people that were stabbed multiple times. Shouldn’t this been the main point of an article. Didn’t see that in the paper. What’s going on?
I really have mixed feelings about the idea. While I most certainly can’t negate the money a cardroom could bring to the town, I just don’t know if it sets the right vibe for downtown.
And I’ll admit, I am a little biased because I know people that have a problem gambling. It is a serious issue that many have a great deal of trouble admitting to. So while I see both sides of the story, I have a tough time making a firm decision.
I think I could be a supporter on adding a cardroom if there was a better way to monitor participants activity. I’d just hate to see someone get a hooked and do the terrible things that gambling addicts do. They can tear apart families, financially ruin them, and forever break trust in their loved ones eyes.
And while sure the city needs money in a recession, so do the residents. And giving the city more money while taking money from those that, in most cases, can’t afford to lose it, I just don’t see it as the best idea we can come up with.
It’s really tough to squeeze water from a rock, you know? With everyone hurting during these times it can get tough to really find a solid solution. But a solution that potentially harms people doesn’t seem like the most moral direction to head.
Some alternative options I could think of are:
1. Local musicians putting on a fundraiser concert. Charge 5-10 bucks and have multiple bands or groups play.
2. Organize a weekly pub crawl.
Set up a website built by SJSU/SJCC/DeAnza students which allow people to sign up and pay to participate in one of multiple groups and have a timed pub crawl where a group would move around to each bar. Split the profits with the bars, bring in money to the businesses and city, all the while creating a community that shares the downtown environment. Make it a huge San Jose walking pub crawl. We do this sort of thing a couple times a year between the Paseo Villas and Paseo Plaza downtown between 3rd and 4th street.
3. Have local businesses sponsor a local “tour of San Jose/Walkathon” where people can get sponsored by local businesses to wear a T-Shirt sponsoring their business and ask them to contribute X amount of dollars for every mile they walk. It should be relatively easy to get started.
4. A modified version of the pub crawl… Have the city sponsor a once a week event at some venue. Send a lot of people to either a successful or struggling restaurant and get the local downtown vibe running again.
Shoot maybe we’ll sponsor one here over at http://www.SanJoseCityLiving.com hmm…. That just might be an idea… Anyone think it could be a good idea?
“The SanJoseCityLiving.com Night Out”
I put up a poll on the website to see who might be interested in going on a night out to somewhere specific for a good time. You can vote at http://sanjosecityliving.com/pollsarchive/
So there are my ideas. Any thoughts?
How about allowing a strip bar as well. you could charge a fee on top of admission and lab dances. Every conventioner I talk to asks where are the strip joints.
Money invested in a lap dance is far better than wasting money gambling!
Well.. lets have a cardroom with poles and topless dealers. Lets kill a couple of birds with one stone.
Fenton and East Side Dre,
You guys belong on the City Council… fresh and innovative thinking is sorely needed.
P.O. wrote:” The two card clubs bring approximately $13 million in tax revenue to San Jose every year. That money pays for a lot of serviecs; for example, half of our citywide library budget, or 21 miles of road paving, or …”
Who’s skimming the dough, P.O.?—there hasn’t been 21 miles of road paving in s Jay in the last ten years.
Tony D,
Lucky strikes had execs / investors come up for a weekend. They saw how the police are late night and decided to pass. Even on money from thier landlord and the RDA. Seemed the police model downtown didn’t make sense.
Biff
Since the number of card clubs is capped and they are already in San Jose paying tax, the only argument for moving them is that they would do more volume downtown? This argument is based on convention attendees and how is the convention business doing right now?
I remember there used to be another card club on Mountain View-Alviso Road, but I guess once it closes it can’t be restarted?
#1
#2
#3
Thank You
#4
I roam around Downtown quite a bit mostly on foot to observe the evening happenings. On Friday 2/20/09 around 12:45AM I came upon police and two males in there late 20’s/early 30’s who had been stabbed multiple times. It was unclear at the time where it happened and was quite a gruesome event to see first hand.
#5
Thanks for the other ideas and let us know if you arrange any of the events.
#9
JMO,
San Jose has 2300 miles of streets.
We are way down from where we need to be…we are sealing about 50-70 miles per year and should be doing 150-180. We are paving about 6-20 miles and should be doing 40 to 50. Our current backlog of streets below rating of 50 (poor) on scale of 1-100 is 23% or about 500 miles of street. We have a deferred infrastructure maintenance backlog of approximately half a Billion dollars.
Pierluigi,
I know you said this was a BRAINSTORM session, and I also know technically there are no dumb ideas in brainstorms, however I suggest that you please think of alternate ideas.
Thanks!
Tina
Like this idea also. Perhaps it could be a card club in conjunction with something else: upscale bowling alley, Jazz bar, high-end restaurant. Speaking of bowling alley, what ever happened to the Lucky Strikes Lanes that was supposed to go in with The Globe development?
I travel for work and often it is with trade shows. Having the ability to play poker while on a break from the trade show or after the trade show would be fun. Others that visit San Jose for business and stay at the hotels or go to the convention center would enjoy it as well.
Fenton and Dre gave us a good starting point. Let’s add to the good ideas by bringing back the hookers. Conventioneers also need to, well, relax, a little during their difficult time at conventions.
But, rather than letting downtown have all the fun, let’s move the gambling, pole dancing, hookers over to Willow Glen. The main part of Lincoln Ave isn’t all that long and with the economy tanking there are a few empty storefronts – set the hookers up in windows like they do in Amsterdam. Right next door rig a few one-arm bandits and card tables – off you go. While you’re at it, a little off track betting never hurt anyone.
The neon lights, short skirts and constant jingling of the slots would really liven up the place. Heck, there’s Jamba Juice for a little quick refreshment, Peet’s for that caffeine jolt and BevMo to dull the pain of losing the mortgage.
Pierluigi,
Sounds sensible and if it pays for my streets to be paved then even better.
It’s hard for the average taxpayer to make an informed judgement on your idea when we are kept in the dark on what and how much the City spends it’s money on.
Before I would ever agree that such desperate measures as skimming gambling profits are needed, I think it would be useful if the City would publish a detailed description of it’s expenditures, (right here on SJI would be a good place) including salaries, retirement benefits, and lawsuit payouts to City employees. Also, I’d like to know the names and amounts payed to individual consultants hired by the City. Also, I’d need to know the names of all the non-profits the City supports, how much each are given, and I’d also have to know the salaries of the executives and paid employees of the non-profits.
As you might guess, I am a bit skeptical that the City is making wise decisions on SPENDING our money. I’d hate to see more unwise decisions be made about how to TAKE more of our money.
I don’t believe you chimed in on Pete Campbell’s article from last week’s SJI.
Care to comment?
#16—surely you realize that anything that will bring one more car to WG, especially Lincoln Avenue, would be greeted like a case of AIDS in the Vatican. NIMBY capital of the western world, is WG.
This is such a stupid idea. I have been a resident of San Jose for 48 years and I rarely ever go downtown because of the seedy, male-oriented entertainment. If you want to bring another bad element to downtown, go ahead. This would be just another reason for me to spend my time and money in San Francisco. And please, stop focusing your attention on downtown. You were voted in to represent my neighborhood.
Perhaps you are not aware, my street hasn’t been swept for several months. Would these card clubs help fund “No Parking On Sweep Day” signs so San Jose can comply with the Clean Water Act?
20: One wonders why a person would spend as much to live in SJ if they are always going to SF. Perhaps that city is more welcoming to whining.
Gambling is a far broader spectrum than card games. There is a much less depressing and/or seedy element. It is a pastime enjoyed by many. It’s even on TV. Does ESPN show anyone pulling slot machine arms until they’re down to the last nickel? No, because there is a great distinction which you obviously fail to recognize.
Lastly, downtown attracting all these elements should be a philosophy you should support since it’s NOT in your neighborhood! San Jose is too big to cater solely to your demographic. Go figure.
JMO, good luck in getting the details. Transparency goes only so far. Were that sort of info released to the public, you can be sure that many of us would mutiny. Far better for SJC management to keep us on the drugs of ignorance and complaceny.
#15
Business travel can be boring and a variety of entertainment for the business traveler is a positive plus a revenue source.
#17
21 miles to be exact.
#18
The city already does as you wrote “skim gambling profits” for nearly $13 million every year. It is just a matter of location: Saratoga Ave or Downtown.
Here is the link the auditor’s report on non profits. Appendix C will answer some of your questions:
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/auditor/AuditReports/0804/0804report.pdf
In addition here a link for SJ Budget Info:
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/budget/FY0910/2010-2014PrelimGFForecast.pdf
#20
Hi Grace,
Hope you are well.
To provide services for all neighborhoods we need have our general ledger in order and that requires the council to think about the big picture as well as down to individual block of homes. Please join us at the Council study session on the budget May 11-15.
P.O. # 22: #18 asked for specifics. Your link is the Manager’s Executive Summary. If details are there (like the salaries of each and every one of the employees of the Cultural Affairs Dept., for instance [names redacted is fine by me]), then I missed it.
The people need to know the nuts and bolts to make informed decisions about what we need vs. what we want.
Thanks pgp3,
I know that with a lot of detective work I could discover quite a bit. I appreciate the tip on guidestar.org.
But should it really be our job to invest a bunch of our own time to figure out how our tax dollars are spent? How many people are going to do that?
It seems to me that the City of San Jose, always skiting about “sunshine” and “transparency”, ought to be going out of it’s way to lay out to it’s citizens, in an easy to understand format, a comprehensive breakdown of it’s expenditures.
Pierluigi’s evasive (admittedly Appendix C is enlightening) response to my comment leads me to believe that he himself is as bamboozled as the rest of us.
Unlike Pierluigi and Bernie Madoff’s clients, however, I’m not comfortable with innocently trusting my money to financial “experts” who are unwilling to explain to me what they’re doing with it.
#18 John,
If you can’t wait for the City to publish information on non-profits you can do that yourself. Just go to http://www.guidestar.org. and search for the non-profit organization or the private foundation. Then ask for the report which will be the IRS 990 and Schedule A that all but the smallest non-profits have to file every year. Some of these reports are (purposely) large so it may take a while to download these dbs files.
But you’ll get tons of information including assets, liabilities, sources of funds, names of directors and officers, top five employee’s salaries, and top consultants.
You only have access to the last few years, unless you pay extra to guidestar.
You can advanced search by ZIP. Searching private foundations reveals much useful information if you’re trying to fund a non-profit.
Some of the largest corporations are the stingiest. Halliburton and Bechtel dole out minute funds to colleges in chunks as small as $100 (up from $25 per a few years ago). Multi-billion $ companies giving away less than $3 Million a year. Embarrassing!
Many of our local companies aren’t doing any better.
Hurray for the Internet!
pgp3
Hello Pier,
Thanks for the invite to the Council study session in May. If I do attend, I plan on recommending that the Mayor and the city council take a 10% pay cut until we balance our budget. Would you be in favor? Your answer will be the deciding factor that will determine if I should cancel my plans to head up to SF North Beach. And, you may have just blown my cover by posting my real name.
I am wanted by the Secret Society of Insecure Men, ref #21. Take care. Give my best to mom and dad. Grazie
#27
Grace,
Personally I would accept at cut in pay along with our 7,000 city employees during this recession to avoid layoffs and cuts to neighborhood services. Hewlett Packard reduced salaries company wide. The percentage of the cut at HP was based on the individual’s annual salary.
Pierluigi
The pros do NOT outweigh the cons here. Card clubs downtown = BAD IDEA. Short answer: NO!Unless of course you want more actual CONS downtown.
#26, John,
If SJ City and other government agencies would look at the IRS 990s and Schedule A of the hundreds of non-profits that receive taxpayer monies distributed by the City they would find many of dubious value. They could easily justify reducing or cutting off diminishing funds and redirecting monies to more efficient and needy service providers.
Some of these do-good non-profit directors and staff receive sky high salaries much like hi-tech corporate execs. There’s at least one non-profit director in San Jose who pulls down $350K. He may be doing a fantastic job, but that sum is much too large for this sector.
Who will perform this task? I’m afraid it might have to be concerned citizens who could then contact the DA, IRS, police, the Grand Jury or the media.
pgp3
Great Idea, moving a card room to downtown area. Downtown needs the energy a Card room would bring.