http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/24247.html
Owners press case after arena uproar
Arena: As fans weigh in, key players huddle to come up with revised plan
By Mary Lynne Vellinga and Terri Hardy - Bee Staff Writers
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, September 16, 2006
Joe and Gavin Maloof continued their full-court public relations press Friday to portray themselves to Sacramentans as aggrieved -- not just petulant.
After announcing earlier this week that they would no longer negotiate with the city and county over putting a new arena in the downtown railyard, the owners of the Sacramento Kings sent a lengthy e-mail explanation to fans and business leaders. They conducted television interviews and talked to a Bee sports columnist.
All of those involved in pushing for a new arena, the Maloofs included, know they can't afford to lose the backing of Kings fans, considered a key bloc of probable yes votes in the Nov. 7 election to raise the sales tax in Sacramento County by a quarter-cent to pay for an Arco replacement.
In their letter to business leaders, which differed somewhat from the one sent to fans, Joe and Gavin Maloof acknowledged the singular importance of the November election.
"For us, failure at the railyards would mean everything," they wrote. "We and Sacramento only have one chance at this."
Without the fans, that chance seems remote.
"The fans are integral to our success and we cannot allow ourselves to lose that important base of support," said Doug Elmets, spokesman for the Yes on Q & R campaign, the pair of measures on the November ballot that would execute the arena plan.
Fans contacted Friday said they still wholeheartedly support the idea of building a new arena in the railyard, and will vote yes on measures Q and R. They were less unified, however, on whether they thought the Maloof brothers should rejoin the campaign.
The Maloofs say they won't come back to the campaign until the city, county and railyard developer agree to an arena plan that meets their needs for 8,000 parking spaces (from which they would get the revenue), a big enough site, and no restaurants outside the front door.
Earlier this week, the Maloofs went public with their complaints that they were "blindsided" by local officials and the railyard developer who they said reneged on previously agreed-to issues. The brothers' complaints prompted a deluge of Internet chatter, with some fans characterizing their behavior as whining.
Diehard fan Tina Vickrey, who last week attended a press conference in the railyard to kick off the Yes on Q & R campaign, said Friday she's sympathetic to the Maloofs' position, although she was angry with them for airing their dispute in public.
But at this point, Vickrey thinks the whole campaign might be better off if the Maloofs stayed on the sidelines.
"When I'm out there and talking to people about it, the major sticking point people have is the Maloofs," she said.
"There are some people out there who would support it more with the Maloofs not backing it," she said. "Then they would be sticking it to the rich guys: We'll build our own arena without you."
Other Kings fans think the Maloofs' re-engagement with the campaign is crucial.
Rancho Cordova City Councilwoman Linda Budge, a Kings season ticket holder, falls into this camp. "If the Maloofs are involved, that shows solidarity among those of us who think this is a very important thing for Sacramento."
Political experts watching the campaign offered similarly differing views.
Even though backers continue to stress that the issue isn't just about a basketball arena, but a sports and entertainment center, political consultant Jeff Raimundo said "the main selling point is a Kings arena. They need to work with the Kings to get back on track."
Raimundo said any campaign that looks to raise taxes is a tough sell. The schism between the Maloofs and the city and county has only made the campaign's task more difficult.
On a scale of one to 10, Raimundo said he'd rate the latest problems an eight. "Of course it hurts the campaign to see the disarray," he said.
Political scientist Robert Waste saw a greater upside if the Maloofs stay out of the picture.
"From Day One, the Maloofs have been the only villains" in the arena debate, said Waste, a public policy professor at California State University, Sacramento. Without them, campaign leaders could concentrate on selling the idea of a new, publicly owned sports and entertainment center in a spiffed-up railyard.
"Same story; no villains," he said.
Even without the Maloofs' participation, city and county negotiators met Friday with a well-known arena architecture firm and the project manager for the downtown railyard development.
They are working to come up with a new plan for a sports and entertainment district that they say will meet the needs of everyone, including the Maloofs.
"We came up with a really solid plan that will be worked on over the weekend and next week," said Sacramento Assistant City Manager John Dangberg.
He said the door continues to be open for the Maloofs and their representatives. "I hope they will find it in their best interest to respond to our continuing requests to go back to the table."
About the writer: The Bee's Mary Lynne Vellinga can be reached at (916) 321-1094 or mlvellinga@sacbee.com.
Owners press case after arena uproar
Arena: As fans weigh in, key players huddle to come up with revised plan
By Mary Lynne Vellinga and Terri Hardy - Bee Staff Writers
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, September 16, 2006
Joe and Gavin Maloof continued their full-court public relations press Friday to portray themselves to Sacramentans as aggrieved -- not just petulant.
After announcing earlier this week that they would no longer negotiate with the city and county over putting a new arena in the downtown railyard, the owners of the Sacramento Kings sent a lengthy e-mail explanation to fans and business leaders. They conducted television interviews and talked to a Bee sports columnist.
All of those involved in pushing for a new arena, the Maloofs included, know they can't afford to lose the backing of Kings fans, considered a key bloc of probable yes votes in the Nov. 7 election to raise the sales tax in Sacramento County by a quarter-cent to pay for an Arco replacement.
In their letter to business leaders, which differed somewhat from the one sent to fans, Joe and Gavin Maloof acknowledged the singular importance of the November election.
"For us, failure at the railyards would mean everything," they wrote. "We and Sacramento only have one chance at this."
Without the fans, that chance seems remote.
"The fans are integral to our success and we cannot allow ourselves to lose that important base of support," said Doug Elmets, spokesman for the Yes on Q & R campaign, the pair of measures on the November ballot that would execute the arena plan.
Fans contacted Friday said they still wholeheartedly support the idea of building a new arena in the railyard, and will vote yes on measures Q and R. They were less unified, however, on whether they thought the Maloof brothers should rejoin the campaign.
The Maloofs say they won't come back to the campaign until the city, county and railyard developer agree to an arena plan that meets their needs for 8,000 parking spaces (from which they would get the revenue), a big enough site, and no restaurants outside the front door.
Earlier this week, the Maloofs went public with their complaints that they were "blindsided" by local officials and the railyard developer who they said reneged on previously agreed-to issues. The brothers' complaints prompted a deluge of Internet chatter, with some fans characterizing their behavior as whining.
Diehard fan Tina Vickrey, who last week attended a press conference in the railyard to kick off the Yes on Q & R campaign, said Friday she's sympathetic to the Maloofs' position, although she was angry with them for airing their dispute in public.
But at this point, Vickrey thinks the whole campaign might be better off if the Maloofs stayed on the sidelines.
"When I'm out there and talking to people about it, the major sticking point people have is the Maloofs," she said.
"There are some people out there who would support it more with the Maloofs not backing it," she said. "Then they would be sticking it to the rich guys: We'll build our own arena without you."
Other Kings fans think the Maloofs' re-engagement with the campaign is crucial.
Rancho Cordova City Councilwoman Linda Budge, a Kings season ticket holder, falls into this camp. "If the Maloofs are involved, that shows solidarity among those of us who think this is a very important thing for Sacramento."
Political experts watching the campaign offered similarly differing views.
Even though backers continue to stress that the issue isn't just about a basketball arena, but a sports and entertainment center, political consultant Jeff Raimundo said "the main selling point is a Kings arena. They need to work with the Kings to get back on track."
Raimundo said any campaign that looks to raise taxes is a tough sell. The schism between the Maloofs and the city and county has only made the campaign's task more difficult.
On a scale of one to 10, Raimundo said he'd rate the latest problems an eight. "Of course it hurts the campaign to see the disarray," he said.
Political scientist Robert Waste saw a greater upside if the Maloofs stay out of the picture.
"From Day One, the Maloofs have been the only villains" in the arena debate, said Waste, a public policy professor at California State University, Sacramento. Without them, campaign leaders could concentrate on selling the idea of a new, publicly owned sports and entertainment center in a spiffed-up railyard.
"Same story; no villains," he said.
Even without the Maloofs' participation, city and county negotiators met Friday with a well-known arena architecture firm and the project manager for the downtown railyard development.
They are working to come up with a new plan for a sports and entertainment district that they say will meet the needs of everyone, including the Maloofs.
"We came up with a really solid plan that will be worked on over the weekend and next week," said Sacramento Assistant City Manager John Dangberg.
He said the door continues to be open for the Maloofs and their representatives. "I hope they will find it in their best interest to respond to our continuing requests to go back to the table."
About the writer: The Bee's Mary Lynne Vellinga can be reached at (916) 321-1094 or mlvellinga@sacbee.com.
