The Buzz: Odds are even in casino battle royal

The bad news for four SoCal Indian tribes that want voters to approve deals allowing their already-big casinos to get bigger is that the public is kind of lukewarm about the idea so far.

Both public and private polls show the approval ratings of the referendums launched by opponents on the Feb. 5 ballot hovering around 50 percent, which is ordinarily not a good omen early in campaigns. Sources on both sides say the sticking point with voters appears to be language in the ballot summary that implies that under the deals, the tribes don't have to meet some state environmental standards.

But there's good news for the four tribes as well. Sources say two casino tribes, which oppose the proposed expansions for competitive reasons and helped qualify the referendums, aren't likely to put a lot more money into them between now and February. If so, other opponents – mainly labor unions and horse racing interests – will have to dig deeper to combat the well-heeled tribes once the campaigns heat up.

The expansion-seeking tribes may also benefit from backing by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who OK'd the deals and is counting on the state getting big money from the agreements.

Although the guv hasn't decided whether he will actively campaign for the deals, he has lent support to the tribes in a court challenge scheduled to be heard in Sacto Superior Court this week.

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is arguing that the deals aren't subject to state referendum laws. Even if they are, the tribe contends, the referendum backers goofed by not providing voters with the full text of the deal. Last week, Schwarzenegger's lawyers filed an amicus brief on behalf of the tribe.

Hmmm. In return, maybe the tribes would be interested in buying the state lottery ...

People who live in glass houses ...

The folks over at the California Postsecondary Education Commission noted an item here last week about a state worker who calls himself the Capitol Curmudgeon. The fellow scopes out grammar goofs on state government Web sites and then scolds them if they fail to correct the errors. As an example, we noted CPEC had spelled the governor's name wrong.

Well, the commission's Marc Irish called to let us know the typo has been corrected. Also that both the Curmudgeon and the Buzz mistakenly made "Postsecondary" into two words in reporting the error.

Those education guys are sticklers for accuracy, you know. Also kind of touchy.

Da Speaker gets schooled

Former Assembly Speaker and S.F. Mayor Willie Brown has long longed to cement his place in California political history with something tangible – and he may have gotten his wish recently from his old alma mater, San Francisco State U. The school is creating the Willie L. Brown Jr. Leadership Center, with a goal of training students for careers in local government.

Brown, whose autobiography is due out early next year, once told the Buzz that he received straight A's while a high school student in Mineola, Texas, except for one class.

You guessed it. Civics.

About the writer:

• The Buzz is compiled by The Bee's Capitol Bureau and written by Bee columnist Steve Wiegand. Reach him at (916)321-1076 or swiegand@sacbee.com.