East County News Service

October 26, 2024 (Jamul) -- Mary Cheeks, President and General Manager of Jamul Casino, has received the Excellence in Advocacy Award at the 2024 Freedom Fund Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 19. The NAACP San Diego Branch honored Cheeks along with other notable community members for their ongoing engagement with their communities and continued efforts to create a space that offers equality for all.

Jamul Casino gifts new dragon to Southern Sea Dragon and Lion Dance

 Source:  Jamul Casino

February 7, 2024 (Jamul) -- On Saturday, Feb. 3, Jamul Casino celebrated Lunar New Year with a traditional dance and procession through the casino floor, along with a special gift to further honor the tradition of lion and dragon dancing. President and General Manager Mary Cheeks kicked off the evening’s festivities by presenting a new dragon costume to Southern Sea Dragon and Lion Dance, one of San Diego’s most reputable Southern lion dancing groups, at JIVe Lounge. 

East County News Service

April 14, 2023 (Jamul) -- The Jamul Indian Village Development Corporation (JIVDC), owner and operator of Jamul Casino^® and a wholly-owned enterprise of the Jamul Indian Village of California,announce that on March 29, they closed on $515 million of Senior Secured Credit Facilities with a syndicate of commercial banks led by KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc.  The other lenders included Western Alliance Bank, Nevada State Bank, U.S. Bank, PNC Bank, CIT Bank, and Columbia State Bank. 

Proceeds from the Credit Facilities will be used to refinance existing debt, fund hotel construction, and pay transaction-related fees and expenses.

SNL Star Brings Comedy Brilliance to East San Diego County’s Top Destination for Entertainment and Fun

March10, 2023 (Jamul)  – On Saturday, April 1, at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Jamul Casino will welcome Darrell Hammond to The Rooftop for a one-of-a-kind dinner and comedy show.  Widely recognized for his sharp humor and masterful impressions of politicians, celebrities and newsmakers on Saturday Night Live (SNL), Hammond has been keeping audiences laughing for nearly three decades. 

He comes to Jamul Casino as part of its Supper Club at The Rooftop series, which pairs “outstanding entertainment with exceptional cuisine at Jamul Casino's spacious outdoor event venue.  The show demonstrates Jamul Casino’s commitment to offering its guests world-class entertainment, food, and fun,” according to a press release from Jamul Casino.

By Miriam Raftery

December 5, 2022 (Jamul) – The Jamul Dulzura Community Planning Group (JDCPG) held two public hearings on the Jamul Casino Hotel and Event Center project planned by Jamul Indian Village (JIV). On November 19, the planning group chair Preston Brown sent a letter to JIV Chairwoman Erica Pinto stating that the tribal environmental impact report (TEIR) was “extraordinarily incomplete and premature for a project of this magnitude.” The planning group recommended the No Project Alternative.

The hotel would be 16 stories with floor-to-ceiling glass; the project would also include an indoor-outdoor event center and additional parking, but no new gaming.

ECM reached out to Chairwoman Pinto to request an interview. She initially agreed, but cancelled due to a trip to Washington D.C. to meet with Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on other matters.  ECM sent written questions and requested a new interview date, but no response has yet been received. The Jamul Casino employees approximately 1,000 people and has provided economic security for the Jamul Indian Village of California's tribal members, many of whom lived in poverty in the past. The new project, if built, would significantly expand employment opportunities in the area as well as economic growth for the tribe.

County planner Scott Christman has said the project does not need approval of county Supervisors or the Governor, and the tribe has previously indicated it hoped to begin construction this month. However the the JDCPG contends that since the casino was built based on certain conditions and legal requirements being met, some of which have not been completed, the project thus does need approval/cooperation/participation of both Supervisors and the Governor.

Tribe doubles annual donation to organizations serving veterans

November 9, 2022  (Jamul) – Today, Chair Nathan Fletcher and Supervisor Joel Anderson of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will join Jamul Casino and the Jamul Indian Village of California Tribe to commemorate Veterans Day with the sixth annual luncheon at Jamul Casino paying tribute to the 53 members of the Tribe and Jamul Casino team who have served in the military.  The event will also feature check presentations to veterans’ organizations: Saddles in Service and Zero8hundred. 

Chef Sean Sherman, James Beard Award winner and founder/CEO of The Sioux Chef company will showcase modern indigenous foods 

East County News Service

November 2, 2022 (Jamul) -- On Saturday, November 19, Jamul Casino will welcome Chef Sean Sherman, Founder and CEO of the company The Sioux Chef, for a one-of-a-kind culinary event on The Rooftop.  Internationally renowned for advancing indigenous cuisine, Chef Sean Sherman will guide guests through a three-course curated meal exclusively prepared for the evening.  Two seating options are offered at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., tickets for the Chef Sherman culinary event. Tickets cost $85 and may be purchased here. 

By Elijah McKee

Photos by Elijah McKee and courtesy of Jamul Casino

Hear an audio version of this report which aired on the East County Magazine Radio Show on KNSJ, including excerpts of speakers, by clicking the audio link.

November 10, 2021 (Jamul) - “We always say ‘Everyone comes home.’ The reality is, hundreds came home, and then we deported them,” said Nathan Fletcher, Chair of the County Board of Supervisors, as he addressed the crowd at Jamul Casino’s annual Veterans Day Celebration. 

Jamul Casino and the Jamul Indian Village tribe of the Kumeyaay Nation hosted the lunch event at its Rooftop venue to honor veterans in their community — both employees and tribal members — as well as to donate to a veterans’ organization. 

This year, the organization selected was Unified United States Deported Veterans (UUSDV), a chapter of Veterans for Peace. The $10,000 donation from Jamul Casino was awarded by Mary Cheeks, President and General Manager, and handed to Jan Ruhman, a project coordinator with UUSDV for the border region. 

September 2, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) – East County Magazine today announced finalists in its Community Champions Awards. Winners will be presented with awards on September 25, 2021 during the nonprofit media outlet’s “Party in Paradise” at the new rooftop venue at Jamul Casino. For tickets, visit  https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/tickets-now-sale-our-party-paradise-a....

“We are pleased to recognize these community champions who have done so much to benefit people in our communities, particularly during the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says ECM Editor and Founder Miriam Raftery. "Thanks to the many readers who sent in nominations -- the judges had many outstanding entries to choose from in selecting finalists."

The awards categories are healthcare, public safety, environmental and wildlife protection, racial and social justice, and humanitarian, as well as a special community benefactor award. Awards will be presented Sept. 25 at ECM's "Party in Paradise' atop the Jamul Casino. Below are the finalists, as well as information on the event and tickets:

East County News Service

January 14, 2019  (Jamul) – The highly anticipated 2019 Restaurant Week will feature two Jamul Casino^® restaurants: Prime Cut and Tony Gwynn’s.  Sponsored by the California Restaurant Association’s San Diego Chapter, San Diego Restaurant Week is January 20-27, 2019.  Over 180 restaurants will participate in the event.  As an opportunity to highlight their tastiest fare, many restaurants will offer prix fixe lunch and dinner menus especially for the event.

Penn Gaming parts ways with tribe; SEC filing cites concerns over unpaid loans

By Miriam Raftery

March 1, 2018 (Jamul) – In a press release issued tonight, the Jamul Indian Village Development Corporation, a wholly owned entity of Jamul Indian Village, announced termination of Penn Gaming and a transition to a new management team at the Hollywood Casino Jamul-San Diego, which will be rebranded as Jamul Casino.

The JIVDC press release describes the transition as a “natural next step toward economic self-sufficiency for JIV.”  Penn Gaming’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 018 does affirm that the decision for Penn’s local entity, San Diego Gaming  Ventures LLC, to cease management of the casino effective May 28, 2018 is a “mutually agreed” upon decision. 

But the filing also indicates serious financial difficulties, including outstanding loans that Penn suggests it may be unable to collect.  The filing states:

By Miriam Raftery

Photos courtesy of Deerhorn Valley Antler and Ray Conser

October 11, 2016 (Jamul) – Opening of the Hollywood Casino Jamul-San Diego yesterday caused extreme traffic delays of to several hours, according to the California Highway Patrol and residents.  The Deerhorn Valley Antler reported 2-4 hour delays.  Traffic on State Route 94 (Campo  Road)  was  backed up for  many miles, all the way from Otay Lakes Road in the south and from  Kenwood Drive in Spring Valley in the north.Side roads such as Lyons Valley Road and Skyline also became jammed.

CHP’s incident page logged multiple complaints of motorists parking on both sides of  highway 94 and other nearby streets illegally after the casino parking lot, which holds 1,800 vehicles, filled to capacity. There were reports of  vehicles making illegal U-turns, passing illegally, and making right turns from a left-hand lane, as well as motorists walking along the roadway.  One caller voiced distress, reporting that her vehicle overheated and her daughter was home along,  per the CHP log. On Brush Fire Partyline’s  Facebook page, Melissa Woodall worried about her children stuck in traffic on a school bus with no air conditioning. John MJodline wrote that it took two hours to get his son at Steele Canyon High school, where dozens of kids were stranded waiting for parents and some students crossed a dangerous thoroughfare.

By Miriam Raftery

August 10,2016 (Jamul) – Signs posted by Cal Trans along State Route 94  are warning motorists to expect traffic delays August 15-22 due to ”events.”

According to a Cal Trans press release posted on the Jamul Indian Village website, Caltrans issued a permit to the Jamul Indian Village for traffic control on  SR-94/Campo Road related to the installation of a new temporary traffic signal at the intersection of SR-94 and Daisy Drive.