ZZZ - GMG - VEGAS INC 2011-2014

INSIDE Cover Story They’re Baaaaaaack! Tourists 2.0 by J. Patrick Coolican + photography by Leila Navidi Big Story What If Are we ready for the “Big One?” by Richard N. Velot a The Interview 30 20 The President Fights Back UNLV’s Neal Smatresk lets it rip by Steve Green + photography by Christopher DeVargas FRONT From RPF Right Now In Business BACK All Access: The People All Access: The Docket 33 34 All Access: The Conventions 35 All Access: The List All Access: The Data Megaphone 20 Answers 36 37 39 42 BULLY PULPIT “This is the most frustrating experience of my life… As we radically disinvest and believe that we can cut our way to greatness, I feel people are guilty of magical thinking. You don’t get something for nothing.” 3 5 11 by Richard N. Velotta or a city whose fortunes have been built on the luck of the draw, Las Vegas has had it pretty good on the disaster front. We never get tornadoes or hurricanes. But, yes, a microburst during a thunderstorm did knock down a brand new $9 million Las Vegas Hilton sign in 1994. There aren’t any rivers that routinely overflow their banks. But, yes, those unpredictable quick-strike flash floods the desert Southwest is notorious for occasionally turn the parking garage of the Imperial Palace into Class 5 river rapids. Once while driving to an assignment to meet with executives of the newly opened JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort in Summerlin, the U.S. 95 freeway turned into something resembling Lava Falls on the Colorado River. And I was driving upstream. It’s never good when your car changes lanes without turning the steering wheel. We do get more than a few earthquakes. The Nevada Earthquake Safety Council (yes, the earth moves enough here to warrant the existence of a “safety council”) says the state is ranked fifth nationally in estimated losses on an annualized basis due to earthquakes, and ranked third behind Alaska and California for being at risk from large magnitude seismic activity. I remember the night a few years ago when the windows started rattling in my two-story North Las Vegas home and the hallway began to sway. Waking from a deep sleep, I tried to recall what my California relatives told me about what to do besides scream when the ground begins to rock and roll. I somehow managed to guide my family under tables and desks away from the windows. By the time we got there, the shaking had stopped. While Las Vegas has never been hit with an epic disaster, it has gotten a sampling of what Mother Nature can do. The foundation of the state’s argument against completing construction of Yucca Mountain was built on emphasizing that lingering doubt of “What if…” Disaster is fresh in our minds as a result of the stunning media coverage of the devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear nail- biting over the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant. After seeing the devastating consequences of cascading disasters in Japan, we have to be asking ourselves: Are we ready? Would Las Vegas be able to survive a cataclysm of biblical proportions? Carolyn Levering, manager of the city’s Office of Emergency Management, and Steve Moyer, director of corporate security for NV Energy, say they sleep well at night despite the potential for natural disaster or terrorism. I pitched a few disaster scenarios their way and they say a steady calendar of preparedness events keeps them on their toes and always thinking about how to stay sharp. Earthquakes, floods, blackouts, toxins, terrorists— can Las Vegas (and its businesses) handle the unthinkable? We ask the really scary questions. 26   photography by Leila Navidi set styling by Sven González | 4 APRIL 2011 | ONLY IN VEGAS What’s harder is giving the consumer something extra, a special experience, the one he won’t have in San Francisco or Miami or New York or wherever else adults go for fun.      20  THE INTERVIEW by Steve Green photography by Christopher DeVargas THE BACK STORY With unemployment in Las Vegas running at 13.7 percent, even college graduates are finding it tough to find jobs. The recession has decimated state general fund revenue, which is projected at $5.8 billion for the coming biennium. That’s down from $6.2 billion in the current two-year period ending in June. With that kind of math, and litle appetite for tax increases in Carson City, UNLV and the rest of Nevada’s higher education system is preparing for Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed 22 percent cut to already trimmed-down college and university budgets. With spending reduced to $742 million, this will result in faculty layoffs and elimination of entire programs. At UNLV, President Neal Smatresk last month reacted by proposing cuts of $32.6 million and the loss of 315 faculty and staff positions. If these cuts go through, UNLV will have seen cuts totaling $97 million and 855 positions over a five-year period. | 4 APRIL 2011 | Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn’s travel tips. PAGE 5 COVER STORY    Genuinely angry and despondent over Governor Sandoval’s draconian budget cuts, UNLV President Neal Smatresk is just starting to fight. Game on.                        N ON THE COVER: Photography by Leila Navidi exclusively for VEGAS INC. Shot on location in Primm, NV. Set styling by Sven González. Hair and grooming by TK Woo. | 4 APRIL 2011 |                                                           Should the higher education community take some of the blame for the current predicament for not beter communicating your EXCLUSIVE story about the value of UNLV when times were good?                                                       31 PREMIERE ISSUE 4 A PRI L 2011 APRIL minding your business minding your busines s™ THE TOURIST THE RETURN OF They’re back. Now what? J. PATRICK COOLICAN INVESTIGATES EXCLUSIVE THE INTERVIEW 5 UNLV PRESIDENT: READY TO RUMBLE BIG STORY DISASTER SCENARIOS, REALLY SCARY TRUTHS IN BUSINESS n Construction Jobs On The Rise n Look Who’s Flying To Mexico Now n Can Housing Numbers Get Worse? * DesertXPress: Derailment, Vegas Style p.39 + Where’s the heart of Las Vegas?   3

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