Bee: Cal Expo board ready to talk with NBA

[kupman]

http://www.sacbee.com/749/story/404553.html

Cal Expo board ready to talk with NBA
By Mary Lynne Vellinga and Terry Hardy - Bee Staff Writers
Last Updated 12:24 pm PDT Friday, September 28, 2007

Members of the Cal Expo governing board Friday voted unanimously to start talks with the NBA over the possible construction of a new Kings arena somewhere on the state fairgrounds property.

Board member Rex Hime called Friday's vote "the first step on what may be a very exciting journey."

Over the coming weeks and months, representatives of Cal Expo and the NBA will try to craft a development for Cal Expo that would produce enough profits to fund much of a new arena as well as the money needed to modernize the state fairgrounds itself. The city of Sacramento and the Maloofs -- owners of the Kings -- will likely be asked to throw in the 180 acres they control around the existing Arco Arena. This land also could be redeveloped to produce money to help build the sports facility.

"Our effort is focused on trying to build an arena without any new taxes," said NBA consultant John Moag.

Members of the Cal Expo board said the arena could provide an opportunity for Cal Expo -- which receives no subsidy from the state general fund -- to reinvent itself as a more modern entertainment destination.

"Given the reality that public assistance is not forthcoming from the state, private partnerships are essential to maintaining Cal Expo's legacy," said board member Marko Mlikotin, a member of the real estate committee. Mlikotin and Hime were tapped as the board's chief negotiators.

State Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, an ex-officio board member of Cal Expo, pushed unsuccessfully for the board to adopt language requiring staff to examine redevelopment scenarios that didn't include an arena. Jones led the campaign to defeat last year's unsuccessful city county ballot measures to raise sales taxes to build a new arena in the railyard.

"Without a clear direction to the staff to do an alternative analysis, the board may well wind up without all the information it needs to make the best decision for the state fairgrounds," Jones said. "It may make sense to do an arena, and it may not. We need a thorough look a the options to make that decision."

Board chairwoman Kathleen Nakase stressed that alternatives will be studied before any arena deal is approved. "It is the desire of this chair that the property be looked at as a clean slate," Nakase said. "We are going to be using our resources to look at all the alternatives."

 

[Purple Reign]

This is the part of the story that absolutely THRILLS me:

"State Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, an ex-officio board member of Cal Expo, pushed unsuccessfully for the board to adopt language requiring staff to examine redevelopment scenarios that didn't include an arena. Jones led the campaign to defeat last year's unsuccessful city county ballot measures to raise sales taxes to build a new arena in the railyard."

"Without a clear direction to the staff to do an alternative analysis, the board may well wind up without all the information it needs to make the best decision for the state fairgrounds," Jones said. "It may make sense to do an arena, and it may not. We need a thorough look a the options to make that decision."

Board chairwoman Kathleen Nakase stressed that alternatives will be studied before any arena deal is approved. "It is the desire of this chair that the property be looked at as a clean slate," Nakase said. "We are going to be using our resources to look at all the alternatives."

In other words Mr. Jones shut the hell up, and allow those that want progress to roll up their sleeves and start from scratch. Man....I hope this works.

 

[VF21]

"Our effort is focused on trying to build an arena without any new taxes," said NBA consultant John Moag.

Members of the Cal Expo board said the arena could provide an opportunity for Cal Expo -- which receives no subsidy from the state general fund -- to reinvent itself as a more modern entertainment destination.

In other words, it's not going to be subject to political maneuverings, misleading campaigns, etc. and it's not going to be done with public funds.

 

[BMiller52]

This is the part of the story that absolutely THRILLS me:

"State Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, an ex-officio board member of Cal Expo, pushed unsuccessfully for the board to adopt language requiring staff to examine redevelopment scenarios that didn't include an arena. Jones led the campaign to defeat last year's unsuccessful city county ballot measures to raise sales taxes to build a new arena in the railyard."

"Without a clear direction to the staff to do an alternative analysis, the board may well wind up without all the information it needs to make the best decision for the state fairgrounds," Jones said. "It may make sense to do an arena, and it may not. We need a thorough look a the options to make that decision."

Board chairwoman Kathleen Nakase stressed that alternatives will be studied before any arena deal is approved. "It is the desire of this chair that the property be looked at as a clean slate," Nakase said. "We are going to be using our resources to look at all the alternatives."

In other words Mr. Jones shut the hell up, and allow those that want progress to roll up their sleeves and start from scratch. Man....I hope this works.

I love seeing Dave Jones get shutdown.