Editorial: Arena of confusion
Time short to make case for 'The Deal'
Story appeared in EDITORIALS section, Page B6
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/27925.html
Measures Q and R are perhaps the most important local issues on the ballot in Sacramento County. They also are the most confusing.
Measure R would raise the sales tax by a quarter-penny for 15 years. Measure Q advises the county to spend no more than half the proceeds of this tax on a new publicly owned sports and entertainment complex.
Behind the ballot text, however, swirls a political storm of uncertainty: Although there's no mention of the location of the arena in either ballot measure, proponents are using the prospect of a location in the downtown railyard as a selling point. But the primary owners of the Kings, the Maloof family, have yet to financially support the measures because of loose ends concerning such a downtown deal.
But saying that there is a deal of any sort is something of a stretch. County supervisors hurried the measures onto the ballot without knowing all the details in order to meet the deadline for the November election. And now the voters may have only a few days to decide between "the deal," if it is actually ever done, and the arrival of absentee ballots.
It would be a pity if this long-awaited moment -- a community decision on a proposal to publicly finance a new Kings arena -- would implode because voters were distracted by bickering among the arena backers themselves. The Maloofs, government officials and business leaders will have wasted their efforts if they don't unite behind a cohesive plan and make their case.
To do that, they need to agree on a couple of basics. Think of these as necessary conditions for any proposal with a chance to win voters' support.
• Get the "memorandum of understanding" between the county and the Maloofs written and circulating. This document, which does not exist, would settle many of the unanswered questions about the deal.
The plan all along was for all parties to sign off on this memorandum by Oct. 6. This week, NBA President Joel Litvin said it should be done "before Election Day" on Nov. 7. Sorry, Mr. NBA President, but that shot is a brick.
Absentee ballots will be in voters' hands by the second week of October. Details of the MOU should be, too. Nobody should be expected to vote for Measures Q and R without knowing the details of what they are voting on.
• Protect the long-term viability of the downtown railyard. This site represents the doubling of Sacramento's downtown. Building an arena there has to enhance the potential success of the area's redevelopment, not detract from it.
The Maloofs don't seem particularly wedded to a railyard location. A city negotiator has said the family has sought to scratch plans to build hotels, high-rise homes and retail surrounding a railyard arena and replace it with parking. This would cripple the successful development of the railyard. So would the family's demands to control the event revenue of 8,000 parking spaces.Difficult points remain to be negotiated and time is short. But the task isn't impossible. The Kings and negotiators for the city and county still can put together a detailed deal that will merit serious consideration by voters. It would be a shame if they don't.
Time short to make case for 'The Deal'
Story appeared in EDITORIALS section, Page B6
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/27925.html
Measures Q and R are perhaps the most important local issues on the ballot in Sacramento County. They also are the most confusing.
Measure R would raise the sales tax by a quarter-penny for 15 years. Measure Q advises the county to spend no more than half the proceeds of this tax on a new publicly owned sports and entertainment complex.
Behind the ballot text, however, swirls a political storm of uncertainty: Although there's no mention of the location of the arena in either ballot measure, proponents are using the prospect of a location in the downtown railyard as a selling point. But the primary owners of the Kings, the Maloof family, have yet to financially support the measures because of loose ends concerning such a downtown deal.
But saying that there is a deal of any sort is something of a stretch. County supervisors hurried the measures onto the ballot without knowing all the details in order to meet the deadline for the November election. And now the voters may have only a few days to decide between "the deal," if it is actually ever done, and the arrival of absentee ballots.
It would be a pity if this long-awaited moment -- a community decision on a proposal to publicly finance a new Kings arena -- would implode because voters were distracted by bickering among the arena backers themselves. The Maloofs, government officials and business leaders will have wasted their efforts if they don't unite behind a cohesive plan and make their case.
To do that, they need to agree on a couple of basics. Think of these as necessary conditions for any proposal with a chance to win voters' support.
• Get the "memorandum of understanding" between the county and the Maloofs written and circulating. This document, which does not exist, would settle many of the unanswered questions about the deal.
The plan all along was for all parties to sign off on this memorandum by Oct. 6. This week, NBA President Joel Litvin said it should be done "before Election Day" on Nov. 7. Sorry, Mr. NBA President, but that shot is a brick.
Absentee ballots will be in voters' hands by the second week of October. Details of the MOU should be, too. Nobody should be expected to vote for Measures Q and R without knowing the details of what they are voting on.
• Protect the long-term viability of the downtown railyard. This site represents the doubling of Sacramento's downtown. Building an arena there has to enhance the potential success of the area's redevelopment, not detract from it.
The Maloofs don't seem particularly wedded to a railyard location. A city negotiator has said the family has sought to scratch plans to build hotels, high-rise homes and retail surrounding a railyard arena and replace it with parking. This would cripple the successful development of the railyard. So would the family's demands to control the event revenue of 8,000 parking spaces.Difficult points remain to be negotiated and time is short. But the task isn't impossible. The Kings and negotiators for the city and county still can put together a detailed deal that will merit serious consideration by voters. It would be a shame if they don't.
