Posts from April 2015
Locals casino company Station Casinos wanted to borrow $300 million to pay its owners a special dividend. While we won’t second-guess the wisdom of borrowing all this money for a non-investment purpose, we believe the “We Love Locals” company could find better ways to show Las Vegas residents some real love.
For example, Station Casinos could give out ten $500 neighborhood jackpots a week invest directly in our community or help the needy in Southern Nevada.
With its $300 million, Station Casinos could do any of these things instead:
1. Buy 3 million textbooks for students in the Clark County School District!
Fact: An elementary school textbook costs about $30-$100.
2. Give an iPad Air 2 to every K-12 student in town!
Fact: Each iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi and 4G and 128 GB of memory sells for $829.
There are approximately 320,000 students in the Clark County School District.
3. Give a $1.4 million grant to each elementary school in the Clark County School District!
Fact: There are 213 elementary schools in the CCSD.
Through October, 2014, Station Casinos had given $2.5 million to dozens of high-need elementary schools over 14 years.
4. Pay four years of college for nearly 14,000 locals!
Fact: The cost of going to college for one year at UNLV (for Nevada residents) is: $5,382.
5. Pay off student debt for 13,800 recent college grads in Nevada!
Help is available, and you're not alone! http://t.co/SLatSRNsZz #studentloans pic.twitter.com/sygzCOKdGV
— Student Loan Relief (@slrelief) April 20, 2015
Fact: Average student debt of Nevada college graduates of the class of 2013 was $21,666.
6. Fund the medical school at UNLV!
Fact: It is estimated that UNLV’s new School of Medicine will need $350 million of philanthropic contributions over ten years.
7. Privately fund a new ballpark for the 51s in Summerlin and build an MLS stadium in downtown!
Fact: The owners of the 51s are seeking to build a new $65-million ballpark.
A $200-million, 24,000-seat MLS stadium was proposed for downtown Las Vegas, but it failed to get public funding.
8. Feed the hungry in Southern Nevada for over 2 ½ years!
Fact: According to local nonprofit Three Square, more than 315,000 people suffered food insecurity in Southern Nevada in 2012, and each $1 donation equals 3 meals.
9. Pay to build ten more DMVs in the Las Vegas area!
Fact: Governor Sandoval’s budget proposal includes the construction of one new DMV in Southern Nevada for $23.4 million.
10. Let 37,000 locals park free in DTLV for a whole year!
Fact: “Premium zone” parking in Downtown Las Vegas costs $2 per hour between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. seven days a week.
BONUS: Send 1,200 lucky Las Vegas locals to space!
Fact: Virgin Galactic is selling space travel tickets for $250,000 per person.
Do you think there are other ways Station Casinos could spend $300 million to make Las Vegas a better community for all of us?
Tell us your idea in the comments section below or Tweet your idea to @Culinary226!
Congratulations to the MGM Grand workers! 99% voted to approve this new contract.
Press release: Unions Reach Tentative Agreement with MGM Grand Las Vegas
MGM Grand Contract Summary in English and Spanish:
Today, as the 5th Circuit begins to hear arguments on DACA and DAPA, the Culinary Union stands by President Obama and his executive order providing a temporary stay of deportation.
Republican politicians need to stop playing games with issues that directly impact our families, these insincere tactics are wrong. As legal issues continue to unfold, we will continue to organize. We believe the law is on our side.
The Culinary Union is the largest immigrant organization in Nevada and supports all immigrants. We represent 55,000 hospitality workers from 167 countries who speak over 40 languages.