Zach Harper Blog

[Section 101]

http://www.cowbellkingdom.com/2011/03/29/let-me-tell-you-about-your-business/

Great read.

I don’t want to tell you “your business” but maybe if you were willing to concede all of the perks that you’re giving up to the city of Anaheim in order to co-inhabit the Honda Center, the city of Sacramento would probably have had a better chance at giving you the palace these Kings deserved. Instead of trying to corner the market on all things parking, restaurant and panhandling in the downtown area, a mutual agreement to share these revenues would have really pushed through a lot of red tape.

So true. If they even did half of what they are conceding in Anaheim a deal could be done here.

 

[swisshh]

But arguing for the perks is a great way to stall negotiations until you have a way out.

 

[ArcoKings]

I just got through reading his blog. He's a fine writer. I disagree with most of what he says especially this: Instead of trying to corner the market on all things parking, restaurant and panhandling in the downtown area, a mutual agreement to share these revenues would have really pushed through a lot of red tape. I doubt this 100%. Someone posted that things are going to get ugly and I agree with him/her.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Zach Harper, this is below the belt!

 

[JB_kings]

I just got through reading his blog. He's a fine writer. I disagree with most of what he says especially this: Instead of trying to corner the market on all things parking, restaurant and panhandling in the downtown area, a mutual agreement to share these revenues would have really pushed through a lot of red tape. I doubt this 100%. Someone posted that things are going to get ugly and I agree with him/her.

As a very long time watcher of all things arena in this town, I can back up Harper a bit. There was a lot of debate about what the Maloofs wanted out of the new arena. They asked for all sorts of things that would just not fly anywhere. Up to offsite from the arena parking revenue full time, no bars or resturants within a number of yards of the arena that would have taken a huge chunk of the railyard real estate and made it difficult to develop. They wanted to manage the arena and control it like Samueli controls the Honda Center and take all the revenue earned. The difference is that Samueli had to pay off the bonds used to build the facility. Q&R would have financed all that. The team negotiating with the Maloofs had given in on so much revenue in the arena and it's like they kept asking for more. When there started to be some pushback, Joe Maloof suddenly turned on them in the middle of a press conference promoting the ballot measures. It sunk the campaign before it ever got off the ground. The city and county also had some fault there too, but the deal was good enough that it would have attracted many teams to move here.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Sounds about how I remember it as well JB, though I am sketchy on the Q&R details since I personally can't back any plan that involves sales taxes (and I'm out of the region so couldn't vote anyways). But the parking was huge, and of course all arena revenues would go to the Maloofs - and I'm sure they'd get that same deal in Louisville or KC today which is part of why many of us find this Anaheim deal so disgusting.

 

[ArcoKings]

As a very long time watcher of all things arena in this town, I can back up Harper a bit. There was a lot of debate about what the Maloofs wanted out of the new arena. They asked for all sorts of things that would just not fly anywhere. Up to offsite from the arena parking revenue full time, no bars or resturants within a number of yards of the arena that would have taken a huge chunk of the railyard real estate and made it difficult to develop. They wanted to manage the arena and control it like Samueli controls the Honda Center and take all the revenue earned. The difference is that Samueli had to pay off the bonds used to build the facility. Q&R would have financed all that. The team negotiating with the Maloofs had given in on so much revenue in the arena and it's like they kept asking for more. When there started to be some pushback, Joe Maloof suddenly turned on them in the middle of a press conference promoting the ballot measures. It sunk the campaign before it ever got off the ground. The city and county also had some fault there too, but the deal was good enough that it would have attracted many teams to move here.

No. I agree that the Maloofs got unrealistic in their demands especially the control of bars and restaurants within so much space between them and the arena. What I don't agree is even if the Maloofs would of had a more 'reasonable' stance on demands I doubt the voters would have voted in favor of the arena anyways. The majority of people didn't want an arena then and the consensus remains the same today. Also, the Maloofs were never well liked then and it remains the same today... generally speaking.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

The notion that every arena proposal needs to be held accountable to a public vote appears to be a common misperception. Q&R were conceived as a workaround to get the public to approve the money after it was clear that the city and Maloofs couldn't agree to terms. It was presumed that if the funding was secure then both sides could hammer out a deal knowing it had full public buy in. But it had two glaring problems - it relied on an unpopular form of taxation when other were expected to target tourists and businesses that were direct beneficiaries of enhanced tourism. But more importantly before it even came to vote groups were announcing legal challenges should it pass. So essentially voters were tasked with approving a tax hike to fund a new arena with no guarantee that the arena would even be built. Many people who supported public funding for the team could not get past one or both of these major issues.

On the other hand KJ's mayoral qualifications were a) NBA career and b) charter schooling. I think it's fairly safe to say that the majority of his votes came from those hoping he could save the team.