California passes bill that may delay closing of Golden Gate
A bill that would finish a deal to keep Golden Gate Fieldsopen until June won unanimous approval Thursday as part of a flurry of votes justbefore the California state legislature in Sacramento finished its business for 2023.
First getting a 39-0 vote in the Senate with one abstentionWednesday, the horse-racing bill was approved 80-0 in the Assembly on Thursday.Governor Gavin Newsom has one month to decide whether he will sign the bill thatoutlines how money wagered in Northern California will be divided.
The Stronach Group, which announced this summer it wouldclose Golden Gate Fields in December, agreed to push the date back six monthsif the state agreed to divert betting dollars to Southern California when thenorth state is not hosting any races. That was the essence of an amendment tothe bill that originally was written to open simulcast terminals at threecounty fairs around the state.
The California Association of Racing Fairs has been in adesperate race to salvage the Northern California calendar that was centered atGolden Gate Fields. It proposed to build a hub at Cal Expo in Sacramento in thelong term while the Sonoma County Fair track in Santa Rosa hosted more races in2024.
That decision ultimately will fall to the California HorseRacing Board, which holds its next meeting Thursday.
Stronach said it planned to close Golden Gate permanently inorder to focus its West Coast operation on Santa Anita. The track and stablesthat straddle the Albany-Berkeley line opened in 1941.
