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Life & Times Transcript
9/7/07 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- An Indian tribe wants to build a lavish casino in the shadow of Disneyland. Should Garden Grove take the gamble? Bruce Broadwater>> Well, I think it's Never Never Land right now. I mean, basically, there are these gentlemen who are making a proposal and we'll see where all that goes. Mark Rosen>> There is a demand for a casino. Somebody in Orange County's going to get it and there's no reason why we shouldn't reap the benefits. Val Zavala>> And then, should this be a wakeup call to California? How deferred maintenance could exact a high cost. It's all straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> Is it a brilliant idea or a far-fetched fantasy? An Indian tribe wants to build a lavish Las Vegas-style casino and resort in Garden Grove not far from Disneyland. The idea is to lure some of those Disney patrons to spend money on slots and blackjack, but is this grounded in reality or are they just blinded by dollar signs? Orange County reporter, Roger Cooper, has our story. Walt Disney>> "Now we want you to share with us our latest and greatest dream. That's it right here: Disneyland." Roger Cooper>> Ever since Walt Disney stepped off the site for Disneyland just over fifty years ago, Garden Grove has lived in the shadow of the Anaheim amusement park. Anaheim has been the tourist destination. Garden Grove has been the place some of those visitors found hotel rooms. Its major claim to fame has been that it's home to the Crystal Cathedral. But if an Indian tribe has its way, all that could change. Jonathan Stein>> I think the notion of a casino is very intriguing for a couple of reasons. Roger Cooper>> The idea of a casino is coming from some members of the Gabrielino-Tongva Indian tribe. They are trying to convince Garden Grove officials to take land at this shopping center on Harbor and turn it into a giant casino hotel and resort complex that would rival anything in Las Vegas. Attorney Jonathan Stein is the tribe's CEO. Jonathan Stein>> Well, it would be a major complex on forty acres. It would have two casinos in it. You know, nowadays everybody likes brands. So imagine a Bellagio and a Paris or a Caesar's and a New York, New York. You'd have one at the higher end and one more towards the middle, but both very nice places. Roger Cooper>> In return for the right to build the resort, the Gabrielino tribe would put a whopping seventy million dollars a year into Garden Grove's coffers and add ten thousand new jobs to the city's economy. And on top of all that, the Gabrielino tribe says it would give every high school student who graduates in Garden Grove a full college scholarship. Matthew Fertal>> Certainly the revenue projections are very enticing and they would certainly go a long way to address many, many issues in the city. Roger Cooper>> City Manager, Matthew Fertal, believes the tribe's resort casino proposal should be seriously considered as a way for Garden Grove to tap into the crowds headed to Disneyland. Matthew Fertal>> I think they're a complement to each other. It gives the visitors some choices. It gives them an opportunity to do events with the family and also gives a little bit more adult-oriented entertainment and opportunities. Roger Cooper>> But not everyone in city government thinks this casino is a sure bet. Bruce Broadwater>> Well, I think it's Never Never Land right now. I mean, basically. Harry Krebs>> Have you ever heard of the pie in the sky? I think it's pie in the sky, the projections that he has. Roger Cooper>> Some City Council members including Bruce Broadwater think the tribe's financial projections are grossly over-stated. Bruce Broadwater>> They don't even entice the realm of reality. I mean, I don't see that. I mean, every kid in Garden Grove having a scholarship? I mean, that's billions. That's not millions. One casino is going to doing that? I'm dubious. Roger Cooper>> But tribal attorney Stein says, if anything, his revenue projections are too conservative. Jonathan Stein>> They're not only solid, but they're actually too small. Roger Cooper>> And former Council member, Harry Krebs, says that, even if their projections do prove to be too high, the city would still make a lot of money. Harry Krebs>> It doesn't really matter. You know, if it's one-third of it, it looks very good. Roger Cooper>> City Manager Fertal agrees. Matthew Fertal>> Whether it's seventy million that has been proposed or twenty million, it's a significant amount of revenue. Roger Cooper>> But financial projections may be the least of the hurdles this tribe must overcome. Linda Candelaria is a tribal councilwoman. Linda Candelaria>> The Gabrielino-Tongva have been in the Los Angeles basin for over twenty-five hundred years. We were in the area from Malibu all the way down to Laguna, from Catalina to San Bernardino. Roger Cooper>> Although the Gabrielino used to range over Los Angeles and northern Orange County, today they are a tribe with no land. Harry Krebs>> The tribe, number one, doesn't own any land. Number two, it doesn't have any money. Number three, it isn't even recognized by the federal government. Matthew Fertal>> It's certainly a challenge because legally they are not eligible and qualified to do gaming, so they have their work cut out for them. Roger Cooper>> But tribal attorney Stein insists that these are hurdles that can be overcome by passing a bill in Sacramento. Jonathan Stein>> This legislation would create a state Indian reservation and that would be the tribal lands and then the compact from the governor would be the right to conduct gaming there. Roger Cooper>> And add to all this the possibility that Disney and Anaheim could object to the casino. Bruce Broadwater>> Disneyland, from what I'm hearing, is opposed to this. Now who's got more swat with the state? Disneyland or the city of Garden Grove? The city of Garden Grove had to sue the Orange County Transit Authority to get the 22 Freeway widened. Disneyland has its own off-ramp. I mean, you know? Roger Cooper>> Still, tribal members are taking the first steps. They are already meeting with Orange County officials and getting to know community leaders. Linda Candelaria>> Oh, we are very excited about the project. It's going to mean a lot to our tribe. Our elders will have the best of health care. Some of our tribal members don't own homes. They'll be able to buy a piece of land that was once theirs. Roger Cooper>> But besides the external challenges of the casino idea, there's an internal challenge that could doom the project. Some members of the Gabrielino tribe are refusing to recognize Stein and the pro casino group as true leaders of the tribe. Jonathan Stein>> Well, there's actually not one split within the tribe. There's actually five. There are five different groups. This group is the largest with eighty-five percent of the members. Bruce Broadwater>> I don't see this happening. I really don't. It's fun to watch. Roger Cooper>> But Mayor Pro Tem Mark Rosen thinks the idea has merit. Mark Rosen>> You know, when people can drive to Palm Springs or Morongo Valley to gamble, it makes no sense for it to be legitimate out there and not legitimate in Orange County. I think there is a demand for a casino. Somebody in Orange County is going to get it and there's no reason why we shouldn't reap the benefits. Jonathan Stein>> I'd say the odds right now are about fifty-fifty and most people will disagree with that, but then again, I think that, if you looked at six years ago what the odds were when I started, they've improved a great deal since then and all the people that said that this couldn't be are actually using the word "inevitable" now. Roger Cooper>> So where does all this stand? Rosen says that eventually, assuming the proposal clears the numerous hurdles, the idea should be put to the voters of Garden Grove. But if the lavish casino resort should become a reality, Garden Grove would finally emerge from the shadows of "the happiest place on earth" to claim its own reputation for fun. Do you think the day will come when we'll say, "What happens in Garden Grove stays in Garden Grove"? Jonathan Stein>> (Laughter) You know, as long as they say, "What happens in Garden Grove stays in Garden Grove", I'll be happy. Matthew Fertal>> No, I don't think so. I think whatever happens in Garden Grove is something we'd want to share with everyone. Roger Cooper>> In Garden Grove, I'm Roger Cooper for Life and Times. Val Zavala>> So what do you think? We'd love to know your response to that story and you can post it on our blog. Just go to kcet.org and click on the Life and Times Blog. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, plus transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org, scroll down the page and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> The sudden collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis is a stark reminder of the price we pay for deferred maintenance. California has hundreds of bridges that should be reinforced, but even more perilous than bridges is the fragile network of levees in the Central Valley. Reporter Craig Miller takes a look at what's at stake when experts are ignored. Craig Miller>> On a parched day in late summer, it's easy to forget that this is a flood plain. But every ten years or so, severe winter storms cause the river to crest over or even break through the levees, turning portions of Sacramento into an inland sea. The last big one was in 1997 and, by the time the waters receded, there were eight deaths, two billion dollars in damage and thirty thousand homes ruined. But memories are short. After a few years and a state budget crisis, levee protection became a footnote in California's budget. Meanwhile, the levees got thinner and the price tag for fixing them got fatter. Les Harder>> The overall problem up and down the Central Valley is somewhere on the order of about a twelve billion dollar deficiency and that's because we as a society, at all levels of government and individuals, have neglected this system and we have a lot to make up for. Craig Miller>> In fact, it took a national catastrophe to trigger an action plan in California. Five months after the Katrina disaster on the Gulf Coast, Governor Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for the levee system and an unprecedented repair program was put in motion. Twenty-nine levee sites were targeted as being in critical condition. Huge cranes and construction gear were dispatched to fix them before it was too late. It's a laborious process. Barges bring tons of dirt and rocks to each site and the levees are built back up one bucketful at a time. But the more the experts worked on repairing the levees, the more alarmed they became. Jason Fanselau>> We found that the flood risk was actually higher than previously thought. So it's not just with bigger storms that you can find out the risk is greater as you get more information on a particular levee. If you gather the soil samples, you may find out that this levee is actually in worse shape than we thought. It's tough for communities to hear that, but they need to know that these are dynamic river systems. It's not a static point in time where things don't change. Things change a lot. Craig Miller>> And across the state, more and more precarious levee sites are being discovered every day. That original number of twenty-nine crisis spots is now up to one hundred ten and rising. Even if you live hundreds of miles from California's river country, this is your problem too and not just because taxpayers will foot the bill. We're not just talking about flooded homes and farms in the Central Valley here. This enormous structure I'm standing on is the water intake for the city of Sacramento. Below me, the Sacramento River. What most people don't realize is that this same river system supplies the drinking water for two-thirds of California's population, so a major disruption in the levee system even up here could mean turning off taps all the way down to San Diego. It's called the Big Gulp, a nightmare scenario in which multiple levee breaks allow saltwater to rush into the river system forcing immediate shutdown of many of the state's water pumping plants and it's not a far-fetched possibility, say the experts. Jeffrey Mount>> Twenty-three million people will drink that water that's coming down this river entering into the delta, a series of canals and pumps and is spread all over California. That infrastructure, which is some of the most complex in the world, is basically at risk from this network of levees that we have because it's held together in a very fragile way as a sort of weak, tired old plumbing system. Craig Miller>> This particular levee right near downtown Sacramento has been identified as critically in need of repair. During the winter, when the river runs higher and faster, it's just carved enormous chunks out of the bank. This fabric is a remnant of a prior attempt to repair the levee, which did not hold up. And wait until you see what's on the other side of this. It's a building boom of new housing developments, thousands of homes springing up behind often questionable levees. But for most home buyers, proximity to the river is not a deterrent. It's a selling point. The river is a magnet, right? Cynthia Carbary>> The river is definitely a drawing point. People belong to the yacht club. They're aware of the restaurants and the activities and you're not that far from getting to the river. In fact, you can actually walk if you want to along some of the levees from here. Craig Miller>> Vonda Walker moved in behind the West Sacramento levees three years. But since Katrina hit, she's been rethinking her decision. I can't help -- I mean, New Orleans. There it is. Vonda Walker>> My New Orleans shirt (laughter). Craig Miller>> You've got the levee over here and New Orleans on your shirt and you've got family in New Orleans. Vonda Walker>> Right. Craig Miller>> If you were driving down here today looking at all these red and white balloons out here, would you buy here right now, knowing what you know? Vonda Walker>> Knowing what I know now, probably not. Craig Miller>> Have you done any studies to see like, if this did flood, how high you would be in water here? They have maps actually to show that. Have you looked at anything like that? Vonda Walker>> We'd be pretty high. Craig Miller>> Like how high? There's the front door. Vonda Walker>> We probably would be about here, if not higher. Craig Miller>> That's pretty significant. Vonda Walker>> Yeah. You got to be ready to go. Craig Miller>> A few miles upriver, Dave Edwards is in charge of shoring up one of Sacramento County's most damaged levees, the kind of work he's been doing for decades. Driving around out here looking at the condition of a lot of these levees, what do you think when you see huge subdivisions going up just on the other side? Be honest. Dave Edwards>> I think it's absolutely foolish. To put it this way, I wouldn't buy a house there. No way. Craig Miller>> But whether you support increased development or increased regulation, one of the state's foremost experts on levees has a parting thought for all of us. Jeffrey Mount>> We have made the calculation that that levee will eventually fail. That's what the statistics tell us and this was borne out across the country time and again. There's two kinds of levees, those that have failed and those that will fail. Eventually all levees fail. Val Zavala>> Californians have become pretty good recyclers, but I'd bet you've never thought about recycling keys, as in typewriter keys. Well, Jenny Brandt of Los Feliz has, and take a look at what she's done. [Film Clip] Jenny Brandt>> It is a dark green 1993 Subaru Impreza and it is colored with multi-colored computer keys, like one giant mobile keyboard. Val Zavala>> Do you have any idea how many keys are there? Jenny Brandt>> I think there are about twenty thousand, but that's just a guess. Val Zavala>> How did this whole project begin? Jenny Brandt>> The project began when I got hold of a bunch of extra of these keys from the company that my father worked for and that company made teletype machines way back in the day before the fax machine. When the fax machine first started getting popular, these telex machines became really outdated. They had hundreds of thousands of these extra keys in all these crazy colors and I just knew that they were ripe for something. The question I get most often is, "How long did this take you?" That's a tough one to answer because it was on and off, on and off, mostly off, for about four years. We started in 1994. We did one stripe down the side and I drove around with it like that for a few years until we had an art car show coming up and really got motivated to finish. When we did the second car, Barb's car, I think we figured out it was about ten to fifteen man days. We had a crew of four or five people several times, so it went a lot faster and we finished that one over a period of a couple of months. [Film Clip] Barbara Johns>> Well, Mike and Jenny did their car and, for years, they were looking for somebody else who wanted to do their car and I think they had some interest from people, but never a commitment. Val Zavala>> What was your husband's motivation to doing it? Jenny Brandt>> I enslaved him into helping me (laughter). We started working on the car pretty much when we first got together. I had done the first path and he was just really interested in it from the get-go. Now he's the one that drives it every day. Val Zavala>> Oh, really? So what's the strangest reaction you've got or your most negative? Jenny Brandt>> The funniest reaction was when we were driving down Sunset Boulevard and a woman pulled up her top. She flashed us (laughter). She liked the car that much. Val Zavala>> Your husband must have liked that (laughter). Jenny Brandt>> I guess (laughter). Val Zavala>> Maybe that's why he drives the car. Jenny Brandt>> He just thought it was kind of strange. Yeah, he drives it every day, so he hasn't told me about anything else in that direction. Barbara Johns>> But I have been stopped for traffic violations and did not get out of the ticket. [Film Clip] Jenny Brandt>> The whole hood is covered with car ad slogans, some of them from as far back as probably the twenties and thirties up to the present. "In a realm all its own." "Take the wheel." "Everybody looks, everybody loves." "Oldsmobile rockets ahead." They sound so fifties, don't they? Barbara Johns>> You know, it's held up really well, but the tires don't last as long. They last about half as long. That's my experience. I've had to get them changed every thirty-five thousand miles instead of every -- Val Zavala>> -- that's not because of this? Barbara Johns>> Because of the weight of the car. Val Zavala>> The weight? The keys are that much weight? Barbara Johns>> The keys add a couple hundred pounds. Val Zavala>> You're kidding. Barbara Johns>> It's like driving around four people all the time. Plus, when you actually have four people, it's like driving around eight people. Jenny Brandt>> I thought about how to sell it. I sort of joked with a car salesman on the lot about trading it in and what they think of that and get some looks of shock and dismay (laughter). So I don't know what their reaction would be there or whether anyone would want to buy it, but I hope so. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val Zavala>> God is a very personal thing and nothing reveals that more than the work of a desert loner who's built a unique monument to God. His story is part of our "Magical Mystery Tour of California" where we feature the work of student reporters, part of USC's Annenberg School of Journalism. Our reporter today is Allison Louie Garcia who headed to the desert to meet Leonard Knight. Allie Louie>> Drive two hundred miles east of Los Angeles and you'll reach the edge of the Salton Sea where summer temperatures climb to a hundred twenty degrees. It's a place where few live and little thrives, except here at Salvation Mountain. Leonard Knight>> And I'd like to give you a tour as you come up here. Allie Louie>> At first glance, Leonard Knight appears eccentric, but he is also funny, humble and filled with faith. Leonard Knight>> The truth is, I'm the nothing of nobody. I'm the dumbest little shy thing there ever was, but for some reason, God had me build a mountain. Allie Louie>> He created his art project on a forgotten government plot, filling it with painted flowers, ceramic figurines and spare parts salvaged from the desert. He used more than a hundred thousand gallons of donated paint and five thousand hay bales covered in adobe. All this to promote one message: God is Love. Leonard Knight>> I don't want to push God's love on anybody. People used to push me and I don't want to be pushed either, but I let my mountain do my talking. Allie Louie>> And talk, it does. It speaks of repentance, it speaks of faith, but most of all, it speaks of Knight's personal relationship with God. Leonard Knight>> So I go right head on to God Almighty and, "Jesus, I love you. Thank you for yesterday. Hello, God, here I am loving you again." I get personal and, when I'm painting sometimes for three or four hours all by myself, that's how I talk. Allie Louie>> It was named a National Treasure by the United States Congress in 2002. Believers and non-believers alike visit free of charge. They say they're moved by Knight's profound dedication and inspired by his childlike joy. Rashelle Sundahl>> To see something so God-inspired in the middle of nowhere for nothing because he felt it in his heart one day and just stayed with it, it's amazing. Christy Loomis>> I mean, you see a lot of large churches and cathedrals and stuff being built, but you don't see something built just by one man that says so much. This is quite an accomplishment and it's something you can see for miles. Rocky Loomis>> It's pure dedication to faith and everything else, you know. Allie Louie>> Knight says that his life was a wreck before he found God. Born again, he wanted to spread the word literally. Leonard Knight>> And in 1971, I saw a hot air balloon fly over Burlington, Vermont and I wanted it to say "God is Love" on it. It said, "Budweiser", of course, and I nagged God for fourteen years. I want a hot air balloon that says, "Jesus, I'm a sinner" and the sinner's prayer, "Jesus, I'm a sinner, please come into my heart." Allie Louie>> He tried to sew together his own hot air balloon and planned to criss-cross the country with his message, but he could never get his balloon off the ground. In 1984, Knight's truck broke down here in the desert and here he stayed, living in his truck and relying on the kindness of others. Knight continues to wake at dawn to paint and build. He spends the rest of the day tending to his many visitors, up to a hundred a day in the winter. And he often gives hands-on tours. He makes sure that nobody leaves empty-handed. Leonard Knight>> "Then you got a flower, see?" Allie Louie>> For some, the souvenir is tangible like a photograph. For others, it's less tangible, a full spirit, an earful of music, albeit a bit off-tune. [Film Clip] Allie Louie>> Though Knight says he appreciates the notoriety, he's content being a modern-day hermit cloistered in his technicolor mountain. This is Allie Louie reporting for Life and Times. Val Zavala>> And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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