http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14313151p-15218631c.html
Police union opposes arena measures
The group says it could change its mind if the city promises to add more staffing
By Terri Hardy -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Thursday, August 31, 2006
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1
Short-staffed and struggling with a Sacramento crime spike, the city's police union publicly announced its opposition Wednesday to the Nov. 7 ballot measures for a downtown railyard NBA arena, saying city officials have made no promises to boost staffing to cover the new facility and surrounding development.
But if the city were willing to commit to minimum staffing requirements, the union would change its stance, said Jerry Camous, president of the Sacramento County Police Officers Association.
"If they built that in somehow, we wouldn't stand in opposition," Camous said in an interview after a press conference called Wednesday by opponents of the arena proposal.
And would the SPOA reverse itself and support arena ballot measures Q and R? "It's possible," Camous said.
Camous said at the news conference at his group's headquarters that the association wasn't opposed to the concept of a downtown arena. His concern was public safety, he said. The department had a severe staffing shortage, with 674 positions filled out of 796 authorized.
To be at minimum staffing levels, the city should have about 900 officers -- a ratio of 500 residents to 1 officer, Camous said.
The union head said Sacramento Vice Mayor Rob Fong, who is among the elected leaders heading the Yes on Q and R campaign, contacted him "to find ways to change our position."
Camous said he told Fong he wanted a commitment, either a letter or ballot measure changing the city's charter to guarantee the 2 to 1,000 staffing level.
The union leader added that Fong told him that no promises could be made.
Fong said he has been trying to contact union leaders since he received their formal letter of opposition. The two sides met an hour before the press conference, although Fong said he had no idea that event had been scheduled.
"I wanted to find out why they were opposed and to express my disappointment that we weren't able to have a conversation before they took a formal position," Fong said.
Fong said he stopped Camous when the union leader offered to trade the group's endorsement for a staffing assurance.
"They did initiate discussions about staffing and staffing level guarantees, and I told them it was absolutely inappropriate to have those kinds of conversations," Fong said. "It's inappropriate to suggest if they gave something you'd give them something. That's called quid pro quo."
Camous said Wednesday he was unclear how many more officers would be needed should the downtown railyard be developed as proposed with an arena, housing for 10,000 and 1.3 million square feet of retail.
The developer of the project estimates it would be built in phases over a 15-year period.
The city is planning for more services required in a revitalized railyard, including police and fire protection, Fong said.
Sacramento Fire Chief Joe Cherry, who supports the arena, said it would mean more, not less money for public safety. The additional sales tax revenue of $200 to $230 million could be used for patrol cars, fire trucks and stations, he said.
"To pit a sports and entertainment facility against public safety is a false argument," he said. "A revitalized, grown-up downtown, where there are places to go and things to do, is a part of public safety, too."
The news conference was held jointly with Assemblyman Dave Jones, who is leading the campaign against Measures Q and R.
Camous said his board hadn't determined if the group would be taking an active role in the no campaign. The opponents -- Sacramentans Against the Arena Tax -- is running an all-volunteer campaign, which Jones said last week had $844 in its war chest.
Measure R asks voters if they are willing to pay an additional quarter-cent sales tax for 15 years in Sacramento County. Measure Q, a non-binding companion question, asks voters if they would like to see about half of the $1.2 billion generated go toward a sports arena for the Sacramento Kings, owned by the Maloof family. About $600 million would go for amenities to be chosen by the county and each of its cities.
"This is simply a bad deal for the public," Jones said. "Flood control and an adequately staffed police force are higher priorities than giving away $500 million for the benefit of a private business."
Jones pointed out that the communities would not see any of the sales tax increase for seven years, the time it would take to pay for the arena's construction. And he contended that in the case of a new downtown arena, the city and county would lose $6 million annually in an in-lieu property tax called "possessory interest tax."
Under the negotiated arena deal, the downtown arena would be owned by a city/county Joint Powers Authority. State law mandates that if a public building has a private tenant -- such as the Maloofs -- the possessory interest tax is required instead of a property tax. Who pays that tax is negotiable. City and county negotiators agreed for the JPA to pay the tax instead of the Maloofs.
Paul Hahn, the county's economic development director, said he and other officials who have negotiated the arena deal believe the possessory tax figure "will be far less than $6 million" cited by Jones.
The local team that put together the arena deal estimates the amount at $600,000 to $1 million a year, said John Dangberg, an assistant city manager. They said the JPA would pay for the tax by taking money from the $4 million average yearly rent that would be paid by the Maloofs.
Hahn and Dangberg both caution that the exact amount of tax is determined by the Sacramento County Assessor. Unlike property tax, where the amount is easily determined by calculating 1 percent of the property's worth, figuring the possessory interest tax is more complex.
First, the tenant's interest in the building is calculated, using factors including the building's cost, the amount of public use, the Maloofs' lease term and cost of the lease, and comparable properties, according to Hahn, Dangberg and Kenneth Stieger, the county's assessor.
Steiger said even if the Maloofs have 100 percent use of the arena, their 30-year lease is likely less than the life of the building. In that case, the full price of the building wouldn't be included.
Once the assessed value is determined, the tax would be between 1 percent and 1.25 percent of that amount, depending on where the arena is built said Cynthia Hennessy of the assessors office.
Los Angeles County Assessor Rick Auerbach, who is president of the California Assessors' Association, couldn't be reached Wednesday to comment on the local estimates of possessory interest tax for the proposed arena.
Robert Knowles, his spokesman, said that the calculations are so site-specific, no assessor's office in the state other than Sacramento's would be able to determine the tax.
"I can't imagine giving figures for another county," Knowles said. "You have to rely on what the assessor people are telling you up there."
The possessory interest tax paid in other California sports arenas varies widely. The only NBA team playing in a publicly owned building is Oakland's Golden State Warriors. The JPA that owns the arena in Oakland pays $472,000 in possessory interest taxes each year, said Pat O'Connell, Alameda County's auditor-controller.
Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson in a previous interview said the San Francisco Giants pays one of the highest possessory interest tax rates. However, its $2.9 million annual charge was recently knocked down by about $1 million by a city appeals board.
About the writer: The Bee's Terri Hardy can be reached at (916) 321-1073 or thardy@sacbee.com.
Police union opposes arena measures
The group says it could change its mind if the city promises to add more staffing
By Terri Hardy -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Thursday, August 31, 2006
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1
Short-staffed and struggling with a Sacramento crime spike, the city's police union publicly announced its opposition Wednesday to the Nov. 7 ballot measures for a downtown railyard NBA arena, saying city officials have made no promises to boost staffing to cover the new facility and surrounding development.
But if the city were willing to commit to minimum staffing requirements, the union would change its stance, said Jerry Camous, president of the Sacramento County Police Officers Association.
"If they built that in somehow, we wouldn't stand in opposition," Camous said in an interview after a press conference called Wednesday by opponents of the arena proposal.
And would the SPOA reverse itself and support arena ballot measures Q and R? "It's possible," Camous said.
Camous said at the news conference at his group's headquarters that the association wasn't opposed to the concept of a downtown arena. His concern was public safety, he said. The department had a severe staffing shortage, with 674 positions filled out of 796 authorized.
To be at minimum staffing levels, the city should have about 900 officers -- a ratio of 500 residents to 1 officer, Camous said.
The union head said Sacramento Vice Mayor Rob Fong, who is among the elected leaders heading the Yes on Q and R campaign, contacted him "to find ways to change our position."
Camous said he told Fong he wanted a commitment, either a letter or ballot measure changing the city's charter to guarantee the 2 to 1,000 staffing level.
The union leader added that Fong told him that no promises could be made.
Fong said he has been trying to contact union leaders since he received their formal letter of opposition. The two sides met an hour before the press conference, although Fong said he had no idea that event had been scheduled.
"I wanted to find out why they were opposed and to express my disappointment that we weren't able to have a conversation before they took a formal position," Fong said.
Fong said he stopped Camous when the union leader offered to trade the group's endorsement for a staffing assurance.
"They did initiate discussions about staffing and staffing level guarantees, and I told them it was absolutely inappropriate to have those kinds of conversations," Fong said. "It's inappropriate to suggest if they gave something you'd give them something. That's called quid pro quo."
Camous said Wednesday he was unclear how many more officers would be needed should the downtown railyard be developed as proposed with an arena, housing for 10,000 and 1.3 million square feet of retail.
The developer of the project estimates it would be built in phases over a 15-year period.
The city is planning for more services required in a revitalized railyard, including police and fire protection, Fong said.
Sacramento Fire Chief Joe Cherry, who supports the arena, said it would mean more, not less money for public safety. The additional sales tax revenue of $200 to $230 million could be used for patrol cars, fire trucks and stations, he said.
"To pit a sports and entertainment facility against public safety is a false argument," he said. "A revitalized, grown-up downtown, where there are places to go and things to do, is a part of public safety, too."
The news conference was held jointly with Assemblyman Dave Jones, who is leading the campaign against Measures Q and R.
Camous said his board hadn't determined if the group would be taking an active role in the no campaign. The opponents -- Sacramentans Against the Arena Tax -- is running an all-volunteer campaign, which Jones said last week had $844 in its war chest.
Measure R asks voters if they are willing to pay an additional quarter-cent sales tax for 15 years in Sacramento County. Measure Q, a non-binding companion question, asks voters if they would like to see about half of the $1.2 billion generated go toward a sports arena for the Sacramento Kings, owned by the Maloof family. About $600 million would go for amenities to be chosen by the county and each of its cities.
"This is simply a bad deal for the public," Jones said. "Flood control and an adequately staffed police force are higher priorities than giving away $500 million for the benefit of a private business."
Jones pointed out that the communities would not see any of the sales tax increase for seven years, the time it would take to pay for the arena's construction. And he contended that in the case of a new downtown arena, the city and county would lose $6 million annually in an in-lieu property tax called "possessory interest tax."
Under the negotiated arena deal, the downtown arena would be owned by a city/county Joint Powers Authority. State law mandates that if a public building has a private tenant -- such as the Maloofs -- the possessory interest tax is required instead of a property tax. Who pays that tax is negotiable. City and county negotiators agreed for the JPA to pay the tax instead of the Maloofs.
Paul Hahn, the county's economic development director, said he and other officials who have negotiated the arena deal believe the possessory tax figure "will be far less than $6 million" cited by Jones.
The local team that put together the arena deal estimates the amount at $600,000 to $1 million a year, said John Dangberg, an assistant city manager. They said the JPA would pay for the tax by taking money from the $4 million average yearly rent that would be paid by the Maloofs.
Hahn and Dangberg both caution that the exact amount of tax is determined by the Sacramento County Assessor. Unlike property tax, where the amount is easily determined by calculating 1 percent of the property's worth, figuring the possessory interest tax is more complex.
First, the tenant's interest in the building is calculated, using factors including the building's cost, the amount of public use, the Maloofs' lease term and cost of the lease, and comparable properties, according to Hahn, Dangberg and Kenneth Stieger, the county's assessor.
Steiger said even if the Maloofs have 100 percent use of the arena, their 30-year lease is likely less than the life of the building. In that case, the full price of the building wouldn't be included.
Once the assessed value is determined, the tax would be between 1 percent and 1.25 percent of that amount, depending on where the arena is built said Cynthia Hennessy of the assessors office.
Los Angeles County Assessor Rick Auerbach, who is president of the California Assessors' Association, couldn't be reached Wednesday to comment on the local estimates of possessory interest tax for the proposed arena.
Robert Knowles, his spokesman, said that the calculations are so site-specific, no assessor's office in the state other than Sacramento's would be able to determine the tax.
"I can't imagine giving figures for another county," Knowles said. "You have to rely on what the assessor people are telling you up there."
The possessory interest tax paid in other California sports arenas varies widely. The only NBA team playing in a publicly owned building is Oakland's Golden State Warriors. The JPA that owns the arena in Oakland pays $472,000 in possessory interest taxes each year, said Pat O'Connell, Alameda County's auditor-controller.
Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson in a previous interview said the San Francisco Giants pays one of the highest possessory interest tax rates. However, its $2.9 million annual charge was recently knocked down by about $1 million by a city appeals board.
About the writer: The Bee's Terri Hardy can be reached at (916) 321-1073 or thardy@sacbee.com.
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