Controversial Study of Chumash Casino Eliminated
At the urging of Santa Ynez Valley activists, the county supervisors agreed to terminate a controversial study that critics contend had been subverted from its original purpose. The study was supposed to quantify the impacts of drug- and alcohol-related crimes linked to the Chumash Casino. Study supporters were concerned that the report-which would have cost $100,000-had morphed into a tool promoting “agri-tourism” and turning Santa Ynez into another Napa.