Arbitration Weighed in Casino Funds Dispute

Unable to settle a dispute over development costs for a proposed card club, Hawaiian Gardens is considering hiring an independent arbitrator to rule on whether the man holding the casino license owes the cash-strapped city as much as $2 million.

City Atty. Julia Sylva said that card club developer Irving Moskowitz owes the money to the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. She said the money stems from relocation and other costs owed to more than a dozen businesses that were moved to make way for the proposed casino on Carson Street.

Moskowitz’s attorney, Beryl Weiner, said his client has paid the agency “every dime” agreed to under the casino development agreement. He added that the agency will recoup its costs within a year after the card club’s opening, scheduled for next spring.

Meanwhile, the square-mile city is struggling to stay within its budget since Moskowitz decided in July to halt his payments of $200,000 a month to City Hall over concerns that the city was misusing the money. This week, the City Council voted to lay off 20 city workers, and 10 more could be dismissed within a month.