New state gambling law jeopardizes cruise business; port officials decry the effects of cruise ship cutbacks.A little-noticed new state law regulating off-shore casino gambling could have the unintended effect of driving away cruise line A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships. Cruise lines have a dual character; they are partly in the transportation business, and partly in the leisure entertainment business, a duality that carries down into the ships themselves, which have both a crew headed by the business from local ports, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. port and tourism officials. At issue is a law that went into effect on Jan. 1 that prohibits casino gambling on passenger ships that make successive stops at California ports. Although the law is aimed at gambling vessels, cruise ships This is a list of cruise ships, both those in service and those that have since ceased to operate. Both cruise ships and cruiseferries are included in this list. (Ocean liners are not included on this list, see List of ocean liners. that make scheduled successive stops at San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden could not operate on-board casinos while off the coast of California. Already, one major cruise line has halved the number of stops at Avalon on Catalina Island because of the law, and local and state tourism representatives are afraid that other lines may follow suit. A proposal to change the law has been introduced in both the state Assembly and Senate but it is running head first into opposition from many lawmakers and the California Attorney General The California Attorney General is the State Attorney General of the government of the state of California in the USA. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" (California Constitution, Article V, Section 13. . Opponents of the proposed measure say its passage could make it easier for legalization LEGALIZATION. The act of making lawful. 2. By legalization, is also understood the act by which a judge or competent officer authenticates a record, or other matter, in order that the same may be lawfully read in evidence. Vide Authentication. of full-scale casino gambling on Indian reservations in California. "Unfortunately, while taking steps to prohibit gambling aboard ships that take cruises to nowhere or to prevent gambling barges from anchoring offshore," said the Steamship steamship, watercraft propelled by a steam engine or a steam turbine. Early Steam-powered Ships Marquis Claude de Jouffroy d'Abbans is generally credited with the first experimentally successful application of steam power to navigation; in 1783 his Association of Southern California in its recent newsletter, "(the new law) also struck a blow to legitimate cruise line operators that call regularly at several California ports." In addition to Catalina in Los Angeles County, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has reduced service at San Diego because of the law. So far, no service has been cut in Los Angeles, which with 228 stops by lines every year is the fourth busiest port in the United States for cruise business. "This is potentially a very serious problem for the cruise business in California," said Karen Tozer, general manager of general cargo and cruise line operations at the Port of Los Angeles The Port of Los Angeles is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown. Also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT LA . "San Diego will probably lose about $8 million in business because of the cuts there. If cruise lines cut service in Los Angeles, it could mean a loss of 2,400 jobs and $59 million in economic impact. Statewide it could mean a loss of $82 million in business brought in by cruise ships stopping in ports here," she said. Most major cruise lines feature casino gambling on their ships but, under the current state law, those carriers are prohibited from operating the facilities between stops at California ports. The law particularly affects cruise lines that offer cruises to Mexico with multiple stops in California. In addition, the law is expected to affect cruises this summer to Alaska that have two or more stops at California ports, said port and tourism officials. Rather than give up casino gambling, the law could force cruise lines to drop service to more than one California port, said port and tourism officials. Under the law, casino gambling could continue offshore if a cruise ship made only one stop at a California port. Under new legislation introduced in the state Assembly and Senate, casino gambling on cruise ships that make successive stops at California ports will be permitted if the cruise is at least 48 hours long, one foreign port is visited and passengers are provided with room and board. A spokesman for one sponsor of the new bill, Assemblywoman Deirdre Alpert, D-San Diego, said the issue is becoming a political hot potato in Sacramento because it involves casino gambling. "It could be coming up for a vote on the floor of the Assembly in a couple of weeks but right now I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how it's going to go," said the spokesman, who did not want to be named. Opponents of the proposed bill argue that if it is adopted, it would open the door for casino gambling in California, according to tourism and port officials. California Attorney General Dan Lungren opposes the proposed amended bill for two reasons. He has said it could lead to illicit activity like money laundering The process of taking the proceeds of criminal activity and making them appear legal. Laundering allows criminals to transform illegally obtained gain into seemingly legitimate funds. and organized crime, and could further the possibility of full-scale casino gambling in the state. Under current federal regulations, casino gambling is allowed on Indian reservations when it is authorized by the state. Lungren, whose office did not return a phone call for comment, has said that the proposed bill would sanction casino gambling on Indian reservations, according to port and tourism officials. Wayne Griffin, executive director of the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, said business generated by cruise line passengers is off about one-third since RCCL RCCL Royal Caribbean Cruise Line dropped some of its service to the resort. He said the port in the community of Avalon on the island will lose about $1.2 million in fees and taxes because of the reduction in service. "That doesn't include how much restaurants and shops are losing because of the drop in cruise passengers," he said. "And it could get worse if other lines stop service. This could be a real problem for us and all the ports in California because it could really kill the cruise business. They just wouldn't stop here any more and the state can't afford to lose any more businesses." |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion