A long-simmering battle over a casino in Los Angeles County's tiniest city has reached a critical phase as the state Gambling Control Commission weighs whether to grant the card club's controversial owner, Dr. Irving I. Moskowitz, a permanent gaming license.
Moskowitz, a reclusive Miami Beach multimillionaire, runs a gaming empire in the one-square-mile city of Hawaiian Gardens. He bankrolls local charities, and his gambling revenues help keep the city solvent. But critics say he has co-opted City Hall and, overseas, has undermined the Middle East peace process by using his wealth to promote Jewish settlement in Arab-populated areas of Israel.
Moskowitz's application, state officials say, has generated the strongest opposition in the commission's three-year history. Hearings for pornographer Larry Flynt's Hustler Casino in Gardena drew nary a peep of protest, but the Moskowitz hearings have been contentious affairs, with critics and supporters clashing in emotional exchanges that veered from gaming and local issues to debates over biblical teachings and Middle East politics.
"I want you to be on the side of God," said Max Kessler to the three commissioners, echoing the views of some of Moskowitz's supporters that the issue transcends local politics. "The return of the Jewish people is above and beyond history."
Actor Ed Asner said residents have lost control of the city to the physician-turned-developer.
"I ask the commission to let Hawaiian Gardens go free," said Asner, who is part of a coalition of peace and local activists contending that Moskowitz's application should be denied because he has broken disclosure laws and is undermining the Israeli peace process.
Moskowitz, 75, has not attended the two hearings at the Ronald Reagan State Office Building in downtown Los Angeles. The hearings have drawn dozens of supporters and critics, including rabbis, law enforcement officials and politicians. Moskowitz was represented by his son, David, and his attorney, Beryl Weiner.
The commission is expected to take up the matter again at a meeting in February. They can vote to approve or deny the application, or request more investigation.
Moskowitz's tent-shaped Hawaiian Gardens Casino houses more than 100 tables and is the largest employer in the southeast Los Angeles County city. Its licensing fees make up 73% of the city's $9.5-million annual budget.
