Granting Card Dealer Permit, Eureka Council Deals Ex-Con a Second Chance

Sean Padelford [Screenshot from video of the meeting]

Reversing an action taken by the city’s police chief, the Eureka City Council approved a card dealer permit for a man who was convicted of violent felonies but said he’s now sober and determined to be a benefit to the community and his young son.

Eureka requires all card room employees – not just dealers – to be licensed by the police chief. The chief can deny a permit for numerous reasons, including felony convictions.

That’s where Sean Padelford’s card dealer permit application ran into problems.

In July of 2024, he pleaded guilty to two felony charges, one for domestic violence and the other for assault.

Now into the first year of a three-year probation period after jail incarceration, Padelford wants to use his experience as a blackjack and poker dealer to gain work and appeared before council at its Sept. 16 meeting to argue his appeal of the permit denial.

He said he went through six months of residential substance abuse treatment at the North Coast Substance Abuse Council’s Crossroads program, followed by the New Life Discovery Project’s recovery program.

Finding work is a struggle and even Domino’s Pizza denied him due to his record, which he described as “devastating.”

But he said the owner of Eureka’s North Coast Casino is willing to give him a chance and is prepared to hire him “immediately.”

He admitted to his past mistakes, saying, “I don’t think I really have taken accountability for my actions my whole life and at 43, I’m finally starting to see some kind of light.”

Councilmembers praised Padelford for openly sharing his story but wanted more details.

Responding to questions, he said he said he was “drunk” when he committed domestic violence against the mother of his two-year-old son.

He was also under the influence when he assaulted a convenience store clerk during a chase, he continued.

Asked if he could be in an environment of alcohol and gambling and not relapse, Padelford said he “definitely” can and “more than anything else, I just want to be able to give my son some money.”

He added that he’d been court-ordered to stay away from his son’s mother but that’s been lifted and “peaceful contact” is now allowed by the court.

Padelford had said he’d been denied a card dealer permit twice before and Councilmember Renee Contreras-DeLoach supported the chief’s action.

“I’m sorry that you have this process that is ahead of you but it’s been barely over a year so my recommendation would be that we trust law enforcement’s recommendation that they’ve given multiple times in this area and hold off on granting this at this time,” she said, making a motion to that effect.

But although the city’s police chief denied the permit, Councilmember Mario Fernandez noted the rules allow wiggle room in saying the chief “may” deny the permit instead of “shall” deny it based on felonies.

He related his own experience, saying at one point he’d been on three-year probation and “I know what it’s like to have to wait that out and in that time, try and find work and try and do everything right.”

A majority of councilmembers were willing to allow the permit and Councilmember Leslie Castellano made a substitute motion to do so with the condition that the city be notified if Padelford violates any terms of this probation.

The motion to affirm Padelford’s appeal and give him the permit was approved in a 4-1 vote, with DeLoach dissenting.