Every Mayoral Candidate on a New Arena

[IceColdKings]

The Sacramento Bee recently asked every candidate.. "What is your position on a new arena for the Sacramento Kings? Do you support a city subsidy for a new arena? If so, how much and under what conditions?"

Leonard Padilla

No taxpayer monies. It is a private enterprise, a private business. Let the Maloof's figure it out.

Shawn Eldridge

I am an advocate for a new arena. I also don't feel we have to subsidize it. I believe we need to focus on our relationship with the Maloofs (the Kings' owners) and the NBA. I also believe we can build an arena that is a state-of-the-art facility that high-end business will fight to be a part of.

Heather Fargo

A new arena would be great and is needed to offer entertainment and sports options for the region, but Sacramento voters said "no" to public participation in the construction, 80 percent to 20 percent.

Kevin Johnson

I think it's critical that we make every effort to keep the Kings in Sacramento, and building a new arena will help us do that. However, I do not believe that we should increase taxes to subsidize a new arena. The city can be supportive through tax incentives and infrastructure assistance, but it is clear that there is not public support for a tax increase to assist in financing a new arena.

Cal Expo is a promising location for a new arena. Three significant benefits of the Expo site are that:

• A new arena could serve as an anchor, drawing in other businesses to create an entire entertainment complex and bringing new jobs and amenities to the city;

• A financial package could be arranged in cooperation with the state that does not include an increase in local taxes; and

• It could refurbish and modernize the old state fairgrounds.

For these reasons, the Cal Expo site should be carefully reviewed and considered. The additional traffic that would be created in the evenings would certainly have to be addressed, probably through transit infrastructure improvements and promoting ridership.

Muriel Strand

If a new arena is a good investment, then private investors will invest. If private investors propose a good project, the council would support it. I would only consider a city subsidy if city residents were the shareholders who owned and controlled the team. And I suspect Arco Arena is in better shape than some have suggested.

 

[BMiller52]

The only one I agree with is Shawn Eldridge but KJ comes closest after him.

 

[Rockmeister]

No wonder I didn't vote for Heather Fargo.

 

[KCKingsCountry]

California is sure different from the Midwest when it comes to building sports facilites.

 

[Löwenherz]

California is sure different from the Midwest when it comes to building sports facilites.

How specifically?

 

[KCKingsCountry]

How specifically?

Regarding public money. It seems so much more oppostion to using tax money to build arenas.

 

[DocHolliday]

Regarding public money. It seems so much more oppostion to using tax money to build arenas.

It's not so much that people are agianst using tax money for an arena, it's that they are against a tax "increase" to fund an arena.

 

[kennadog]

It's not so much that people are agianst using tax money for an arena, it's that they are against a tax "increase" to fund an arena.

No, the antis are definitely against any public money going to an arena. California has been a rabidly anti-tax state for some time and not just about arenas. To the detriment of all Californians, IMHO.

 

[Smills91]

No, the antis are definitely against any public money going to an arena. California has been a rabidly anti-tax state for some time and not just about arenas. To the detriment of all Californians, IMHO.

Well california also has one of the highest tax rates in the nation, how much 'fatter' does government have to get? Why is it that the citizens of the nation need to do without more to give to government. It should be the other way around. The government is to serve the people, not the people to serve the government. Allowing the people to keep their own EARNED money is the first step in serving the people. Taxes 'enslaven' because it requires EXTRA TIME to recoup that lost money. Extra time at work = less free time(freedom) to live our lives.

 

[VF21]

REMINDER:

We do NOT discuss politics. The issue of the new arena is fair game ONLY as long as it doesn't start to veer away into anything remoting resembling partisan politics.

Thanks, all. We've learned the hard way that we just do not want to have political discussions around here. They never end well.