Betting an effective. Removing crappy.

Travelling Highway 5 from the Southern Bay and see this new fancy billboards beckoning you to Seven Mile Gambling enterprise. Found on Bay Boulevard from inside the Chula Panorama, the new casino was an outrageous good article replete having haute food, a stylish bar, good glassed-into the deck, an excellent waterfall, and you may valet parking.

7 Kilometer Gambling enterprise kept the grand beginning into July 23. Chula Vista’s entire town council – Pat Aguilar, Pamela Bensoussan, John McCann, and you can Steve Miesen – joined casino holder Harvey Souza into stage set upwards in the top of gambling enterprise. Gran Mary Casillas Salas stood beside Souza waving an oversized lucky eight regarding diamonds card from the sitting audience.

Chula Panorama fetes Eight Distance Gambling establishment once the FBI looks at it

Nothing of one’s public data appeared to have any qualms about just what appeared to be cheerleading to possess gaming, plus they every appeared to has actually amnesia concerning proven fact that Souza’s prior business, the fresh new Community Pub Cards Room into Broadway, is raided by Government Agency regarding Comparison in 2014 – that can still be below investigation.

All of this certified support for one mature-amusement facilities contrasts with Chula Vista’s winning effort to close off this new EyeCandy strip combined below a kilometer out. Shortly after a-two-seasons judge battle, a judge purchased EyeCandy to shut down in the .

Ever since then, Eight Mile Local casino and you can Souza’s reputation locally possess ascended. During the September, the fresh Language-code neighborhood paper Los angeles Prensa, freshly acquired of the governmental consultant Ways Castanares, transmitted a complete-web page offer to possess 7 Distance Gambling establishment and you may a lifestyle story throughout the Souza, titled, “Harvey Souza: A life dedicated to Chula Vista.” The brand new section means Souza just like the an energetic philanthropist and says he gave millions to nonprofits including Southern area Bay Society Characteristics. The fresh Los angeles Prensa article includes an egalitarian estimate out of Souza: “We are all equal as soon as we is at new betting tables. Here, the socioeconomic position otherwise occupation don’t amount.”

Souza was important from the regional politicians, and he happens to be good to him or her. Inside a young battle for more dining tables, Souza rented previous mayor Cheryl Cox to get their representative. Into the 1998, it absolutely was Cox exactly who pled his case before the city council.

Considering good Relationship-Tribune article of that time, Cox contended, “Mr. Souza is within it to have his team also to perpetuate 53 several years of solid ownership off a business which was a for Chula Views, and has maybe not levied the sort of stress abreast of its political data that we you’ll worry, is we keep an eye out on organizations that have 180–two hundred dining tables.”

Not everybody from inside the Chula Vista is out of Cox’s marketing. Paul Pfingst, who was region lawyer at the time, arrived through to Wildz casino bonus codes the urban area council so you’re able to event this new extension. Good Commitment -Tribune post quoted Pfingst arguing, “[B]ecause there’s an enormous quantity of bucks running through the latest same individual, a chance for cash laundering or any other sorts of everything is alot more introduce.” The guy including indicated so you can “undue has an effect on one major gaming have with the chose officials.”

Also towards 2003, when you are she is providing while the an excellent Chula Vista Elementary trustee and you may resting toward city’s constitution-remark committee, Cox reported that she is actually working as a representative for the Town Pub Cards Place. Of course Cox ran having , she gotten $13,000 regarding the cards space for her promotion.

Souza has long been substantial which have people in politics. Immediately, the most venture sum some body helps make to an excellent council applicant is actually $320 for every election course. In past times round out-of elections, Souza with his girlfriend Bette jointly gave Salas $600, McCann $600, Aguilar $620, and you will Bensoussan $620; councilmember Miesen was appointed, thus he compiled no campaign donations.