Baldwin Park : Public to Vote on Card Club

Voters will have a chance to decide next April whether to allow legalized gambling in the city, thanks to a 3-1 vote of the City Council Wednesday that reversed an earlier decision.

Last June, the council rejected a proposal to bring card clubs to the city after a storm of protest by residents. But Wednesday, after Councilman Herschel Keyser said he had nearly enough signatures on a card club petition to get the issue on the ballot anyway, the council agreed to put it to a public vote.

A citizens committee estimated a card club could generate between $500,000 to $10 million annually for the city. Councilman Bobbie Izell voted against the proposal and Councilwoman Julie McNeill was absent from Wednesday’s meeting.