Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

7 hours ago

Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say

9 hours ago

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

9 hours ago

US Strikes Destroyed Only One of Three Iranian Nuclear Sites, NBC News Reports

12 hours ago

US Seeks One-Day Sentence for Police Officer Convicted in Breonna Taylor Case

12 hours ago

Manhattan Prosecutor Who Handled Epstein Cases Is Fired

14 hours ago

Why California Ag Is at Odds Over Converting Land to Solar Farms

14 hours ago

7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Alaska Coast. No Danger to California

1 day ago
Not in the Cards. Voters Don't Favor Selma Gambling Proposal, Supporters Now Betting on Plan B
TLBBHMAP3-U010ALB5ANM-348f959abae2-512-300x300-1
By Jim Jakobs, Digital Producer
Published 5 years ago on
November 4, 2020

Share

The Selma City Council unanimously approved putting Measure L before voters to approve the establishment of a licensed cardroom.

The threshold for passage? 50%+1.

(Late Tuesday night the measure was trailing by a significant margin with 100% of precincts reporting (though some votes remain to be counted).

No

3,397

63.21%

Yes

1,977

36.79%

Supporters said the additional money generated from a cardroom would bring in about $1 million a year into the city coffers to add more police officers to a force they say is woefully understaffed.

Now, it’s back to the drawing board for it’s backers.

“Measure L was all about providing additional funding to the City of Selma, to give increased police protection for the community and youth programs for Selma,” Amber Nelson Billingsley writes in an email to GV Wire℠. “The crime issue in Selma over the past several years is what created this movement.  The community has rejected the idea and we can only hope there is going to be a Plan B to stopping Selma Crime.”

One major opponent was Mark Medina, who is running for a spot on the City Council. Medina doesn’t believe a cardroom fits into the family friendly community, and that voters have already rejected it before.

Even if voters had approved Measure L, it would face a hurdle with the state of California. There are 73 licensed cardrooms in cities throughout the state including The 500 Club Casino in Clovis, and Club One in Fresno. Assembly Bill 1168 placed a moratorium on new cardrooms until January 1, 2023.

The city of Selma and Measure L supporters said they believe state leaders would approve their request to help bring in more revenue for public safety.

Cardroom Proposed Location

“The city of Selma would receive on a monthly basis 10 percent of the gross revenue off the top.”Dwight Nelson, Measure L supporter and owner of the Selma Auto Mall

GV Wire℠ spoke with the backer of Measure L, Dwight Nelson over the phone before the vote totals came in. Nelson owns several local businesses including Selma Auto Mall and Legends Tap House and Grill.

He tells GV Wire℠ he grew up in Selma and wants to host the cardroom at his restaurant.

“It has a 4,000 square foot banquet room facility. The building itself is 15,000 square feet,” says Nelson. “We would also have to do a new addition for administrative offices, and restrooms, which would probably add another 3000 square feet to the to that part of the building.”

Extra Revenue for Selma

Similar to the cardrooms in Fresno and Clovis, Nelson says the additional revenue for Selma would add up quickly.

“The city of Selma would receive on a monthly basis 10 percent of the gross revenue off the top,” explains Nelson. “The whole purpose of this is to create additional funding for the Selma Police Department to have an increased presence of police officers on the ground that can help stop the violent crime that has been occurring in Selma for several years.”

Nelson believes the city could bring in an extra $1 million dollars a year from a cardroom.

He’d really like to see the city add a police substation on the west side of town since it gets cuts off by train traffic for at least an hour of time a day. The police station is on the east side of town and has to wait for the trains to pass before they can respond to calls to the west.

“We’ll be able to hire about seven new sworn officers with this money which will increase our police officer count to 36,” says Nelson. “Currently, according to the FBI a town of our size needs 59 officers.”

Opposition to Cardroom

“A card room, even though a legal business entity like a strip club, does not fit the family friendly community that Selma by virtue of the voting record (of residents) wishes to have.”Mark Medina, Selma City Council Candidate

Medina has been outspoken on social media about his opposition to the cardroom.

He writes on Facebook, “I believe, and push for a better, family friendly Selma. We need to actively search for businesses that will complement our current business ecology and aggressively entice brands to locate here all the while providing a proper incubator for our local entrepreneurs that will help them develop, grow and expand their brands and businesses.”

Medina points out that city residents just voted several months ago to oppose the same measure the City Council placed on the ballot.

“A card room, even though a legal business entity like a strip club, does not fit the family friendly community that Selma by virtue of the voting record (of residents) wishes to have,” writes Medina.

At the December 2nd, 2019 council meeting a speaker who gave his name as Nindy Sandhu spoke against the proposal. “We have plenty of casino places around,” he said. “Is this something that Selma needs? What’s the purpose behind it? Is it purely a business profit purpose, or is it something that’s going to make our community better?”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Show on CBS to End in May 2026

DON'T MISS

Former Los Banos Teacher Indicted on Federal Child Exploitation Charges

DON'T MISS

C for Chaos? Ashjian Kicked Off Measure C Committee

DON'T MISS

Israel Demands UN Scrap Investigation Body for Palestinian Territories

DON'T MISS

Trump Signs Executive Order Creating New Classification of Non-Career Federal Workers

DON'T MISS

Judge Rules Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

DON'T MISS

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

DON'T MISS

US Health Department Hands Over Medicaid Personal Data to ICE

DON'T MISS

Fresno Grass Fire Near Woodward Park Prompts Brief Evacuations

DON'T MISS

Behind the Masks: Who Are the People Rounding Up Immigrants in California?

UP NEXT

C for Chaos? Ashjian Kicked Off Measure C Committee

UP NEXT

Fresno Grass Fire Near Woodward Park Prompts Brief Evacuations

UP NEXT

Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say

UP NEXT

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

UP NEXT

Connie Francis, Whose Ballads Dominated ’60s Pop Music, Dies at 87

UP NEXT

Fresno Fire’s Rescue of 2-Year-Old in Locked Car Is a Reminder of Deadly Heat Risks

UP NEXT

Appeal Court Rejects Fresno County Challenge. DA and Sheriff Races Set for 2028

UP NEXT

FDA Approves Juul’s Tobacco and Menthol E-Cigarettes

UP NEXT

Trump Cuts Decimate Hanford’s National Weather Service Office

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Christopher Michael Asher

Israel Demands UN Scrap Investigation Body for Palestinian Territories

6 hours ago

Trump Signs Executive Order Creating New Classification of Non-Career Federal Workers

6 hours ago

Judge Rules Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

7 hours ago

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

7 hours ago

US Health Department Hands Over Medicaid Personal Data to ICE

7 hours ago

Fresno Grass Fire Near Woodward Park Prompts Brief Evacuations

8 hours ago

Behind the Masks: Who Are the People Rounding Up Immigrants in California?

8 hours ago

Homeowners With Solar Rise Up to Defang Bill Authored by Former Utility Executive

8 hours ago

Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say

9 hours ago

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

9 hours ago

Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Show on CBS to End in May 2026

LOS ANGELES – “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS will end in May 2026 after the upcoming broadcast season, the ne...

4 hours ago

Stephen Colbert arrives for the Saturday Night Live 50: The Anniversary Special at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, U.S., February 16, 2025. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

Stephen Colbert’s Late-Night Show on CBS to End in May 2026

The crest of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 10, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File photo
5 hours ago

Former Los Banos Teacher Indicted on Federal Child Exploitation Charges

5 hours ago

C for Chaos? Ashjian Kicked Off Measure C Committee

Flares fired by Israel Defense Forces light the sky above Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 17, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
6 hours ago

Israel Demands UN Scrap Investigation Body for Palestinian Territories

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
6 hours ago

Trump Signs Executive Order Creating New Classification of Non-Career Federal Workers

Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter testifies on the "Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission" before the U.S. Senate Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security Subcommittee in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2018. (Reuters File)
7 hours ago

Judge Rules Trump’s Firing of FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

FILE PHOTO: A view shows the dome of the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
7 hours ago

US House Passes Stablecoin Legislation, Sending Bill to Trump

A view of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building, in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 27, 2025. (Reuters File)
7 hours ago

US Health Department Hands Over Medicaid Personal Data to ICE

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend