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Arena plan has few fans
Most satisfied with Arco, survey shows
By Mary Lynne Vellinga -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, May 5, 2006
Inside Arco Arena, it may seem like Sacramento screams with one loud "Go, Kings!" voice.
But many of the fans glued to their seats or TV screens for tonight's playoff game are apparently far less gung-ho when it comes to the question of whether Sacramento should build the Kings a new arena.
While 53 percent of the region's residents consider themselves devotees of the Kings, according to a new poll, they still don't buy the owners' argument that Arco needs to be replaced.
"I don't see why they need a new arena; Arco is great," said Aldwyn Regadio, 23, as he worked the sales floor at Z Gallerie in Downtown Plaza Thursday.
Still, Regadio's mind is not closed on the subject. "If they gave me good reasons why they need a new arena, and they were valid, I'd consider it," he said.
A poll released today by California State University, Sacramento, shows just how much work the Kings must do to persuade people like Regadio they should help pay for a new arena.
A new arena plan being discussed with the Maloofs by Sacramento city and county leaders may include a quarter-cent sales tax increase. Details of the nascent strategy are being kept under wraps. So far, no elected official has offered a strategy for selling the plan to the public.
The Kings have a fan base that would be the envy of most sports franchises. But that hasn't translated into support for a new arena.
"It's very clear from our data that people in the region love the team. ... They'd be disappointed if they left, and they're worried they'll leave," said Amy Liu, associate professor of sociology at Sacramento State. "On the other hand, they really don't think there's a need for this (arena.)"
In its second annual poll on the topic, Sacramento State's Institute for Social Research found residents also are unwilling to spend public dollars on such a facility.
Of the 1,122 randomly selected adults surveyed by Liu and her students in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado and Yolo counties, 27 percent said they thought the Kings needed a new arena, down from 33 percent a year ago.
If a new arena is built, just 1 percent of those polled thought government should shoulder the entire cost. More than half - 54 percent - said only private money should be used, while 34 percent favored a combination of private and public money.
Public opinion is not an unmovable boulder, however. Liu said support could grow significantly if the Kings make their case to the public.
She noted, for example, that public concern about flooding soared to second highest on a list of major issues after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in late February. Before that, flooding ranked last on the list, after such issues as growth and traffic.
Efforts by the team, local government leaders and developers have thus far focused on how to pay for an arena and where it should go.
Liu said that approach is backward. The public must first be convinced that Arco needs to be replaced.
"If they have a vision, they need to communicate that vision to the public very clearly, and make their case, like the governor is doing about flood control issues," Liu said. "You need to translate the general passion for the team into general support for an arena."
The Maloof family, which owns the Kings, has repeatedly said that Arco, built with private money 18 years ago, is obsolete and fails to meet NBA standards.
Reached by telephone Thursday, Joe Maloof said he wants Sacramentans to go to the ballot box and decide whether they want a new arena.
"We're going to lay it all out and let the public decide," he said. "We'll show the positive, we'll show the negative. We'll be fair with them, and we'll show exactly what it means to the region. I think once people agree to it, you won't find anyone who was against it. That's how it happens in all these cities."
The unconvinced are people like Kevin Watkins, a state engineer who sat in Downtown Plaza sipping Jamba Juice Thursday.
"I consider myself to be a fan; I used to be a season ticket holder," Watkins said. "Now, some of the seats that used to be $15 cost $105. And they want us to pay for a stadium? Naw. The Maloofs have plenty of money."
Not everyone agrees. Even though they're still in the minority, some residents of the region like the idea of attending games and other events in a new, state-of-the-art venue - even if they have to help pay for it.
Gabe Gomez, 20, said a new arena could signal a new era for the Kings, as did the trade that brought Ron Artest to town.
"I think we should do it; I think it would be an awesome idea," said Gomez, a personal trainer and student at Sacramento State.
"If it was a new stadium it would be more classy and more fun to go to," agreed his friend, Mike Peterson, 20, a business major at Sacramento City College.
The Sacramento State survey was conducted Feb. 4 to March 5, when the Kings began to improve on the court. Of those who identified themselves as Kings fans, 60 percent said they were not satisfied with the team's performance this year.
But Liu said she doesn't think dissatisfaction affected the poll results, or that the Kings' subsequent run to reach the playoffs would substantially change public sentiment about an arena.
She noted roughly the same proportion of people - 32 percent to 33 percent - said they thought the Kings needed a new arena, regardless of whether they were satisfied or not satisfied, respectively, with the Kings' performance.
Still, Maloof figures winning can't hurt. "I think in January the franchise was dead," he said. "It was going nowhere; we didn't have an identity. We didn't have team chemistry. When we turned it around, all of the sudden there was new life. People are excited again."
Most satisfied with Arco, survey shows
By Mary Lynne Vellinga -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, May 5, 2006
Inside Arco Arena, it may seem like Sacramento screams with one loud "Go, Kings!" voice.
But many of the fans glued to their seats or TV screens for tonight's playoff game are apparently far less gung-ho when it comes to the question of whether Sacramento should build the Kings a new arena.
While 53 percent of the region's residents consider themselves devotees of the Kings, according to a new poll, they still don't buy the owners' argument that Arco needs to be replaced.
"I don't see why they need a new arena; Arco is great," said Aldwyn Regadio, 23, as he worked the sales floor at Z Gallerie in Downtown Plaza Thursday.
Still, Regadio's mind is not closed on the subject. "If they gave me good reasons why they need a new arena, and they were valid, I'd consider it," he said.
A poll released today by California State University, Sacramento, shows just how much work the Kings must do to persuade people like Regadio they should help pay for a new arena.
A new arena plan being discussed with the Maloofs by Sacramento city and county leaders may include a quarter-cent sales tax increase. Details of the nascent strategy are being kept under wraps. So far, no elected official has offered a strategy for selling the plan to the public.
The Kings have a fan base that would be the envy of most sports franchises. But that hasn't translated into support for a new arena.
"It's very clear from our data that people in the region love the team. ... They'd be disappointed if they left, and they're worried they'll leave," said Amy Liu, associate professor of sociology at Sacramento State. "On the other hand, they really don't think there's a need for this (arena.)"
In its second annual poll on the topic, Sacramento State's Institute for Social Research found residents also are unwilling to spend public dollars on such a facility.
Of the 1,122 randomly selected adults surveyed by Liu and her students in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado and Yolo counties, 27 percent said they thought the Kings needed a new arena, down from 33 percent a year ago.
If a new arena is built, just 1 percent of those polled thought government should shoulder the entire cost. More than half - 54 percent - said only private money should be used, while 34 percent favored a combination of private and public money.
Public opinion is not an unmovable boulder, however. Liu said support could grow significantly if the Kings make their case to the public.
She noted, for example, that public concern about flooding soared to second highest on a list of major issues after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in late February. Before that, flooding ranked last on the list, after such issues as growth and traffic.
Efforts by the team, local government leaders and developers have thus far focused on how to pay for an arena and where it should go.
Liu said that approach is backward. The public must first be convinced that Arco needs to be replaced.
"If they have a vision, they need to communicate that vision to the public very clearly, and make their case, like the governor is doing about flood control issues," Liu said. "You need to translate the general passion for the team into general support for an arena."
The Maloof family, which owns the Kings, has repeatedly said that Arco, built with private money 18 years ago, is obsolete and fails to meet NBA standards.
Reached by telephone Thursday, Joe Maloof said he wants Sacramentans to go to the ballot box and decide whether they want a new arena.
"We're going to lay it all out and let the public decide," he said. "We'll show the positive, we'll show the negative. We'll be fair with them, and we'll show exactly what it means to the region. I think once people agree to it, you won't find anyone who was against it. That's how it happens in all these cities."
The unconvinced are people like Kevin Watkins, a state engineer who sat in Downtown Plaza sipping Jamba Juice Thursday.
"I consider myself to be a fan; I used to be a season ticket holder," Watkins said. "Now, some of the seats that used to be $15 cost $105. And they want us to pay for a stadium? Naw. The Maloofs have plenty of money."
Not everyone agrees. Even though they're still in the minority, some residents of the region like the idea of attending games and other events in a new, state-of-the-art venue - even if they have to help pay for it.
Gabe Gomez, 20, said a new arena could signal a new era for the Kings, as did the trade that brought Ron Artest to town.
"I think we should do it; I think it would be an awesome idea," said Gomez, a personal trainer and student at Sacramento State.
"If it was a new stadium it would be more classy and more fun to go to," agreed his friend, Mike Peterson, 20, a business major at Sacramento City College.
The Sacramento State survey was conducted Feb. 4 to March 5, when the Kings began to improve on the court. Of those who identified themselves as Kings fans, 60 percent said they were not satisfied with the team's performance this year.
But Liu said she doesn't think dissatisfaction affected the poll results, or that the Kings' subsequent run to reach the playoffs would substantially change public sentiment about an arena.
She noted roughly the same proportion of people - 32 percent to 33 percent - said they thought the Kings needed a new arena, regardless of whether they were satisfied or not satisfied, respectively, with the Kings' performance.
Still, Maloof figures winning can't hurt. "I think in January the franchise was dead," he said. "It was going nowhere; we didn't have an identity. We didn't have team chemistry. When we turned it around, all of the sudden there was new life. People are excited again."
