Sonoma County Board of Supervisors members Shrilee Zane and David Rabbitt hosted a town hall meeting on Thursday, June 21, at the 4-H Club in Rohnert Park, where they were to hear public comments about the pending Indian casino planned on the northwest side of the city.

A previous town hall on the casino was held June 12 in Santa Rosa. Details on the town hall can be found at www.thecommunityvoice.com on Friday.

Both Zane and Rabbitt have come out against the casino, as have most local elected officials, but, as Rabbitt explained, they have little to no leverage. Elected officials at the state level outside Sonoma County, including Gov. Jerry Brown, are solidly behind  the building of the casino, as are local unions counting on the gambling facility creating more  construction jobs.

“I personally have always been opposed to tribal gambling in Sonoma County, and the board is strongly opposed to tribal gambling,” Rabbitt said at the June 13 Cotati City Council meeting. “As you know, it’s quite frustrating. Just because you’re opposed at the local level does not mean it won’t happen because you find out pretty quickly a lot of decisions are not yours to make. I continually get people contacting me to vote no on the casino. I wish I could, but I don’t get a vote.”