Q and R backers amass the cash but haven't unleashed promised advertising blitz.
By Mary Lynne Vellinga - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 1:46 am PDT Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Proponents of the Kings arena plan on the Nov. 7 ballot are falling well short of their prediction that they would wage the most expensive advertising effort in local campaign history.
But with four weeks to go until Election Day, they have far more money at their disposal than the group opposing Measures Q and R, led by state Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento.
Measure R would raise the Sacramento County sales tax by a quarter cent.
Measure Q, an advisory measure, would ask voters to bless spending about half of the $1.2 billion raised by Measure R on a new sports and entertainment facility. The rest would go back to the county and its cities to spend on community projects.
The Yes on Q&R campaign last week filed a report showing contributions of $133,886 through Sept. 30.
A $1 million infusion wired by downtown railyard developer Stan Thomas on Friday boosted the total, said campaign spokesman Doug Elmets. Thomas pledged a total of $2 million to the campaign, but he's only given half of that so far.
The Georgia developer stepped in after the Maloofs, who own the Kings, bailed out of the campaign and arena talks with the city and county.
The Maloof family says city and county negotiators reneged on their promise that the team would get revenue from 8,000 parking spaces around the arena -- something local officials deny.
The only contribution the Maloofs have made to the campaign was $8,771 worth of buttons and other paraphernalia given before the blowup.
"Once they stopped communicating with the city they essentially stopped communicating with the campaign," Elmets said.
Thomas' money is being used to pay for television, radio, and direct mail pieces aimed at convincing Sacramento County voters that Measures Q and R will jump-start development in the dormant downtown railyard.
Elmets said the campaign has enough money to stay on the air for now -- but additional contributions are crucial.
As of Sept. 30 -- before bills started accruing for the television ads -- the campaign reported outstanding debts of $223,753, much of it to the stable of professional political consultants working on its behalf.
The yes campaign reported a handful of large donations from longtime local businesses and civic leaders, including $25,000 from A. Teichert & Son Inc., the local construction firm.
Downtown office and hotel developer David Taylor, the campaign's finance chairman, contributed $25,000 through two of his business entities.
Hensel Phelps Construction, which built Taylor's expansion for the Sacramento City Hall, the Sheraton Grand and the Esquire Plaza, gave $20,000.
In a meeting with The Bee editorial board Monday, Taylor argued that voters should support Measures Q and R even without the details of an arena deal nailed down -- and even without the Maloofs on board.
Once they have the money to pay for an arena, the city and county will have more leverage to negotiate a better deal with the Maloofs and the NBA, he argued.
Political pressure from the public and those who led the Q&R campaign will ensure that the new facility goes in the railyard and doesn't wind up in North Natomas, he said.
And if the Maloofs fail to agree with the city and county to build an arena in the railyard, he said, the amount up to $600 million designated for the arena project could be spent on something else.
"In my mind, the question is not what the deal is, but whether we can trust the people who are going to have to make the deal to make it a fair deal," he said.
The no campaign, meanwhile, had raised $62,886 through Sept. 30, most of it in donations of $100 to $500. The single largest contributor was the Sacramento County Democratic Central Committee, which gave $25,000.
Assemblyman Jones, leader of the opposition campaign, loaned the effort $12,000 from his Assembly campaign funds. Jones said the campaign had sent one mailer but was relying on volunteers to connect with voters. "We were able to scrape together enough money to hire a kid out of college who is running the phone bank," Jones said.
Despite its funding advantage, the yes campaign is considered the underdog effort. A recent Bee poll showed the sales tax trailing by a wide margin.
"Despite the millions of dollars on the other side, Sacramento voters have a lot of common sense and they see it for what it is, which is a huge public handout to billionaire sports team owners and a very bad deal for Sacramento taxpayers," Jones said Monday.
The Bee's Mary Lynne Vellinga can be reached at (916) 321-1094 or mlvellinga@sacbee.com.
By Mary Lynne Vellinga - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 1:46 am PDT Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Proponents of the Kings arena plan on the Nov. 7 ballot are falling well short of their prediction that they would wage the most expensive advertising effort in local campaign history.
But with four weeks to go until Election Day, they have far more money at their disposal than the group opposing Measures Q and R, led by state Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento.
Measure R would raise the Sacramento County sales tax by a quarter cent.
Measure Q, an advisory measure, would ask voters to bless spending about half of the $1.2 billion raised by Measure R on a new sports and entertainment facility. The rest would go back to the county and its cities to spend on community projects.
The Yes on Q&R campaign last week filed a report showing contributions of $133,886 through Sept. 30.
A $1 million infusion wired by downtown railyard developer Stan Thomas on Friday boosted the total, said campaign spokesman Doug Elmets. Thomas pledged a total of $2 million to the campaign, but he's only given half of that so far.
The Georgia developer stepped in after the Maloofs, who own the Kings, bailed out of the campaign and arena talks with the city and county.
The Maloof family says city and county negotiators reneged on their promise that the team would get revenue from 8,000 parking spaces around the arena -- something local officials deny.
The only contribution the Maloofs have made to the campaign was $8,771 worth of buttons and other paraphernalia given before the blowup.
"Once they stopped communicating with the city they essentially stopped communicating with the campaign," Elmets said.
Thomas' money is being used to pay for television, radio, and direct mail pieces aimed at convincing Sacramento County voters that Measures Q and R will jump-start development in the dormant downtown railyard.
Elmets said the campaign has enough money to stay on the air for now -- but additional contributions are crucial.
As of Sept. 30 -- before bills started accruing for the television ads -- the campaign reported outstanding debts of $223,753, much of it to the stable of professional political consultants working on its behalf.
The yes campaign reported a handful of large donations from longtime local businesses and civic leaders, including $25,000 from A. Teichert & Son Inc., the local construction firm.
Downtown office and hotel developer David Taylor, the campaign's finance chairman, contributed $25,000 through two of his business entities.
Hensel Phelps Construction, which built Taylor's expansion for the Sacramento City Hall, the Sheraton Grand and the Esquire Plaza, gave $20,000.
In a meeting with The Bee editorial board Monday, Taylor argued that voters should support Measures Q and R even without the details of an arena deal nailed down -- and even without the Maloofs on board.
Once they have the money to pay for an arena, the city and county will have more leverage to negotiate a better deal with the Maloofs and the NBA, he argued.
Political pressure from the public and those who led the Q&R campaign will ensure that the new facility goes in the railyard and doesn't wind up in North Natomas, he said.
And if the Maloofs fail to agree with the city and county to build an arena in the railyard, he said, the amount up to $600 million designated for the arena project could be spent on something else.
"In my mind, the question is not what the deal is, but whether we can trust the people who are going to have to make the deal to make it a fair deal," he said.
The no campaign, meanwhile, had raised $62,886 through Sept. 30, most of it in donations of $100 to $500. The single largest contributor was the Sacramento County Democratic Central Committee, which gave $25,000.
Assemblyman Jones, leader of the opposition campaign, loaned the effort $12,000 from his Assembly campaign funds. Jones said the campaign had sent one mailer but was relying on volunteers to connect with voters. "We were able to scrape together enough money to hire a kid out of college who is running the phone bank," Jones said.
Despite its funding advantage, the yes campaign is considered the underdog effort. A recent Bee poll showed the sales tax trailing by a wide margin.
"Despite the millions of dollars on the other side, Sacramento voters have a lot of common sense and they see it for what it is, which is a huge public handout to billionaire sports team owners and a very bad deal for Sacramento taxpayers," Jones said Monday.
The Bee's Mary Lynne Vellinga can be reached at (916) 321-1094 or mlvellinga@sacbee.com.
