http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/86267.html
NBA's chief is coming to town
Stern to spend two days talking arena with local officials.
By Terri Hardy and Mary Lynne Vellinga - Bee Staff Writers
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, December 2, 2006
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A16
NBA Commissioner David Stern arrives Monday for two days of talks with local leaders, searching for a financially and politically palatable plan to build a new Kings basketball arena.
His job won't be easy.
Relations have soured between the Maloof family -- the owners of the Kings -- and the municipal and business leaders who pushed for a new sports complex in the downtown railyard.
And given the crushing defeat of the ballot measures that sought to build the new facility with a quarter-cent sales tax, officials have said they are leery of another plan that would rely on taxpayer dollars.
"I think as a practical matter, any form of public financing falls to the bottom of the list at this point -- and may be off the list," said Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, one of the chief champions of the failed sales tax plan embodied in Measures Q and R.
Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo said Stern's task is formidable and she hopes he'll come prepared with innovative suggestions for moving forward. He also should be prepared to open the NBA's pocketbook or help with financing, she said.
"He needs to think about assisting us financially, either by locating an investor or providing a revenue stream from the league," Fargo said. "Other cities are having similar problems, and if he doesn't want the league to shrink, an investment would be in their best interest."
Stern said last month that saving the once-storybook relationship the Kings had with the community, and keeping the team in town, is one of his top priorities. Since then, NBA officials have been tight-lipped about Stern's plan of action.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Stern's visit to Sacramento on Monday and Tuesday is to have meetings that are "simply preliminary."
Calls to Maloof Sports and Entertainment were referred to Stern's office.
The commissioner's schedule was still in flux Friday. Fargo said her office was playing phone tag with Stern and no firm meeting time had been scheduled.
Fargo said she expects her meeting with Stern will be attended by Councilmen Rob Fong and Ray Tretheway, City Manager Ray Kerridge and Deputy City Manager John Dangberg.
Stern also placed phone calls this week to Dickinson and developer Angelo K. Tsakopoulos.
On Tuesday, the commissioner is scheduled to meet with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor's Office confirmed. Schwarzenegger's press office would not comment on what the two men plan to discuss.
"His meeting with the governor may be purely social; I understand they're friends," Fong said.
In some states, particularly those with one clearly dominant city, a visit to a governor to advance plans to build a sports arena might make some sense. But California chief executives don't tend to get involved in such local issues, said Peter Detwiler, consultant to the state Senate Local Government Committee.
Dickinson offered a similar view. He talked to Stern by phone Friday but can't meet with him because he will be out of town on county business Monday and Tuesday.
"I don't see the state putting money in to keep the Kings and the Monarchs in Sacramento," Dickinson said.
The supervisor said Stern described his foray to Sacramento as a "reconnaissance mission."
"He doesn't expect any great breakthroughs as a result of this, or any particular light bulbs to flash on," Dickinson said.
Tsakopoulos, Sacramento's most prominent developer, is also on Stern's list of people to talk to about how to get an arena built.
Tsakopoulos was the architect of a 2004 proposal that would have privately funded an arena with the profits from rezoning about 10,000 acres of farmland north of the city of Sacramento for development. That plan fell apart when some landowners decided they would not agree to give 20 percent of their profits for arena funding.
The developer later floated a similar financing proposal that relied on rezoning land he controlled near the Sacramento-El Dorado County line, but that idea also fizzled when public officials said the land was too far removed from the urban area.
Tsakopolous declined to comment Friday on Stern's request that they meet.
"I'll talk to you next week," he said.
Efforts to build a new arena have been stop and go for nearly seven years. Fargo pushed two unsuccessful efforts to use taxpayer dollars to help fund a downtown arena, first in the railyard and then at Downtown Plaza.
Tsakopoulos then pursued his private funding ideas, which appealed to many local leaders because they did not require taxpayer money -- just zoning approvals.
The latest attempt, to raise the county's sales tax by a quarter cent to build a sports and entertainment complex in the downtown railyard and fund other community improvements, was rejected by 80 percent of voters on Nov. 7.
The campaign for those ballot measures quickly faltered after Joe and Gavin Maloof, co-owners of the Kings and Monarchs, exited negotiations. At the same time, they stopped helping the Q&R campaign, leaving people wondering if they even wanted the measures to pass.
The brothers insisted to reporters that the city and county failed to uphold various promises, including a pledge to make sure the team received the revenue from 8,000 parking spaces. City and county negotiators denied those claims.
The relationship between arena supporters and the Kings owners soured further when the Maloofs appeared in an ad for Carl's Jr. that depicted them as billionaires washing down burgers with an expensive bottle of wine.
After the election, the Maloofs asked Stern to intervene.
Stern has yet to contact any of the business leaders who spearheaded the Q&R campaign, said Q&R spokesman Doug Elmets. He said he planned to call Stern's office and ask him to talk to Sandy Smoley, the Q&R chairwoman.
River Cats Executive Vice President Warren Smith, a leader in the Q&R campaign, agreed that Stern should meet with members of the last arena effort.
About the writer: The Bee's Terri Hardy can be reached at (916) 321-1073 or thardy@sacbee.com
NBA's chief is coming to town
Stern to spend two days talking arena with local officials.
By Terri Hardy and Mary Lynne Vellinga - Bee Staff Writers
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, December 2, 2006
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A16
NBA Commissioner David Stern arrives Monday for two days of talks with local leaders, searching for a financially and politically palatable plan to build a new Kings basketball arena.
His job won't be easy.
Relations have soured between the Maloof family -- the owners of the Kings -- and the municipal and business leaders who pushed for a new sports complex in the downtown railyard.
And given the crushing defeat of the ballot measures that sought to build the new facility with a quarter-cent sales tax, officials have said they are leery of another plan that would rely on taxpayer dollars.
"I think as a practical matter, any form of public financing falls to the bottom of the list at this point -- and may be off the list," said Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, one of the chief champions of the failed sales tax plan embodied in Measures Q and R.
Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo said Stern's task is formidable and she hopes he'll come prepared with innovative suggestions for moving forward. He also should be prepared to open the NBA's pocketbook or help with financing, she said.
"He needs to think about assisting us financially, either by locating an investor or providing a revenue stream from the league," Fargo said. "Other cities are having similar problems, and if he doesn't want the league to shrink, an investment would be in their best interest."
Stern said last month that saving the once-storybook relationship the Kings had with the community, and keeping the team in town, is one of his top priorities. Since then, NBA officials have been tight-lipped about Stern's plan of action.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Stern's visit to Sacramento on Monday and Tuesday is to have meetings that are "simply preliminary."
Calls to Maloof Sports and Entertainment were referred to Stern's office.
The commissioner's schedule was still in flux Friday. Fargo said her office was playing phone tag with Stern and no firm meeting time had been scheduled.
Fargo said she expects her meeting with Stern will be attended by Councilmen Rob Fong and Ray Tretheway, City Manager Ray Kerridge and Deputy City Manager John Dangberg.
Stern also placed phone calls this week to Dickinson and developer Angelo K. Tsakopoulos.
On Tuesday, the commissioner is scheduled to meet with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Governor's Office confirmed. Schwarzenegger's press office would not comment on what the two men plan to discuss.
"His meeting with the governor may be purely social; I understand they're friends," Fong said.
In some states, particularly those with one clearly dominant city, a visit to a governor to advance plans to build a sports arena might make some sense. But California chief executives don't tend to get involved in such local issues, said Peter Detwiler, consultant to the state Senate Local Government Committee.
Dickinson offered a similar view. He talked to Stern by phone Friday but can't meet with him because he will be out of town on county business Monday and Tuesday.
"I don't see the state putting money in to keep the Kings and the Monarchs in Sacramento," Dickinson said.
The supervisor said Stern described his foray to Sacramento as a "reconnaissance mission."
"He doesn't expect any great breakthroughs as a result of this, or any particular light bulbs to flash on," Dickinson said.
Tsakopoulos, Sacramento's most prominent developer, is also on Stern's list of people to talk to about how to get an arena built.
Tsakopoulos was the architect of a 2004 proposal that would have privately funded an arena with the profits from rezoning about 10,000 acres of farmland north of the city of Sacramento for development. That plan fell apart when some landowners decided they would not agree to give 20 percent of their profits for arena funding.
The developer later floated a similar financing proposal that relied on rezoning land he controlled near the Sacramento-El Dorado County line, but that idea also fizzled when public officials said the land was too far removed from the urban area.
Tsakopolous declined to comment Friday on Stern's request that they meet.
"I'll talk to you next week," he said.
Efforts to build a new arena have been stop and go for nearly seven years. Fargo pushed two unsuccessful efforts to use taxpayer dollars to help fund a downtown arena, first in the railyard and then at Downtown Plaza.
Tsakopoulos then pursued his private funding ideas, which appealed to many local leaders because they did not require taxpayer money -- just zoning approvals.
The latest attempt, to raise the county's sales tax by a quarter cent to build a sports and entertainment complex in the downtown railyard and fund other community improvements, was rejected by 80 percent of voters on Nov. 7.
The campaign for those ballot measures quickly faltered after Joe and Gavin Maloof, co-owners of the Kings and Monarchs, exited negotiations. At the same time, they stopped helping the Q&R campaign, leaving people wondering if they even wanted the measures to pass.
The brothers insisted to reporters that the city and county failed to uphold various promises, including a pledge to make sure the team received the revenue from 8,000 parking spaces. City and county negotiators denied those claims.
The relationship between arena supporters and the Kings owners soured further when the Maloofs appeared in an ad for Carl's Jr. that depicted them as billionaires washing down burgers with an expensive bottle of wine.
After the election, the Maloofs asked Stern to intervene.
Stern has yet to contact any of the business leaders who spearheaded the Q&R campaign, said Q&R spokesman Doug Elmets. He said he planned to call Stern's office and ask him to talk to Sandy Smoley, the Q&R chairwoman.
River Cats Executive Vice President Warren Smith, a leader in the Q&R campaign, agreed that Stern should meet with members of the last arena effort.
About the writer: The Bee's Terri Hardy can be reached at (916) 321-1073 or thardy@sacbee.com
