California Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer told Online Poker Report that his bill to legalize and regulate online poker will not be moving this year.

However, he will continue to work on the issue in an effort to repair the trust between gambling interests and legislators that disintegrated at the end of last session.

In an interview at his district office in Los Angeles, Jones-Sawyer described 2016 as a year to heal, take a step back and regroup without the possibility of a bill going forward raising tensions.

“Obviously, we’re not going to put anything across the desk now,” Jones-Sawyer said. “If you look at the Assembly, we have other big things such as the transportation bill to focus on. This would not be a good year to put something controversial in. I think the ability to work out something next year has a bigger chance if we do some of the come-together healing things right now.”

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UPDATE: San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

One of two politically powerful American Indian tribes in partnership with Amaya / PokerStars and three Los Angeles area cardrooms in an effort to legalize online poker in California announced Wednesday it has left the coalition.

The departure of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians from the alliance could impact the prospects of getting legalized online poker out of the California Legislature, sources said.

“This is a titanic shift in the landscape,” said a tribal executive who requested anonymity.

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