http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/75387.html
Ailene Voisin: Local leaders need to push for new arena
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 9:58 am PST Saturday, November 11, 2006
Is there a florist in the neighborhood?
If there is, this would be the time to deliver the roses ... and the ideas.
The beating at the ballot box last Tuesday has left Sacramento civic leaders bruised, Kings fans confused and/or angry, and representatives from other cities preparing to romance Kings co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof, both of whom say they feel like they have been slapped with a class-action lawsuit.
The mood in the street is more toxic than the dirt at the Union Pacific railyard. And what has those close to the Maloofs seriously fretting about their future zip code for the first time? The fact that emotions can trump common sense, and in the worst of times, overwhelm even good business sense.
Right now all bets are off. Las Vegas. Anaheim. St. Louis. San Jose. The Maloofs expected Measures Q and R to lose, but they didn't expect to be accused of sabotaging the entire undertaking. They still want to be perceived as the guys in white -- the owners who swoop in, save a franchise and build a winner. They want their favorable national image to extend as far west as Sacramento. They want to enjoy burgers and sip fine wine here, too.
"What the hell are we thinking?" asked local developer Angelo Tsakopoulos, a previous partner in the failed arena venture in Natomas. "I don't understand the way we are treating the Maloofs. What they are asking for is not unreasonable. We have to get our act together."
And fast. You can feel it. You can hear it. You can almost touch it, this seismic shift in emotion.
"We're still open," Joe Maloof said Friday. "Come to us with an idea or a proposal. We're going to talk to (NBA Commissioner) David Stern, and also meet as a family. We have to figure out a way to get past square one ... if we can, if we can. But it's just very frustrating. These deals are very hard to do, and it became too personal."
Joe Maloof was the one who, weeks earlier, contended that the arena/tax deal on the ballot might as well have been written in invisible ink. That there was no deal between the city/county and projected railyard developer Stan Thomas on infrastructure fees, and thus, no reason for the vote. But the Kings co-owners anticipated neither the lopsided election results nor the harsh reaction of the public.
So now maybe they entertain overtures elsewhere. Maybe they listen more intently, say, if Anaheim officials sweeten the terms and make a move palatable. Maybe they actually hire the moving vans and do the unthinkable. Maybe they leave.
No, this is the time for hotheads to chill, for cool heads to prevail. For the finger-pointing to abate. For the community leaders -- even those tempted to seek refuge beneath the covers -- to gather the parties back at the table, probably for one final time. The blame game benefits no one. Nor would the Kings' departure.
"I am in shock," Tsakopoulos added. "The 49ers are moving. The A's are moving. The Kings don't have an arena. What's going on? We are not doing anything to show that we can build an arena. We, as a family, believe the Kings' leaving would be a disaster."
Indeed, this might also be the time to peruse recent developments -- including the rezoning proposals behind the A's proposed move to Fremont -- and re-visit the original Natomas plan, which featured similar elements. Additionally, someone needs to assume the leadership role and establish a local coalition and aggressively approach Tsakopoulos and the region's other financial shakers and movers -- a small lot though they are. And for the first time, the public should be made to feel a party to the proceedings.
Last Tuesday, voters spoke with their ballots. But they also speak with their attendance; Kings fans continue to distinguish between business and basketball. In a recent Bee poll, six of 10 respondents identified themselves as Kings fans.
So what about this?
What if Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations, is included in the negotiations, sort of as an antidote to the winner-take-all tactics of John Thomas, president of Maloof Sports and Entertainment? If the NBA scheduled an All-Star Game in Sacramento and earmarked the proceeds for a new arena?
The big markets are outnumbered. Most of the league's 30 franchises are in small to mid-size cities, and many of them -- Kings included -- need help. The club once labeled the league's "model" franchise by Stern himself desperately needs someone to show some love. And some guidance.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
Ailene Voisin: Local leaders need to push for new arena
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 9:58 am PST Saturday, November 11, 2006
Is there a florist in the neighborhood?
If there is, this would be the time to deliver the roses ... and the ideas.
The beating at the ballot box last Tuesday has left Sacramento civic leaders bruised, Kings fans confused and/or angry, and representatives from other cities preparing to romance Kings co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof, both of whom say they feel like they have been slapped with a class-action lawsuit.
The mood in the street is more toxic than the dirt at the Union Pacific railyard. And what has those close to the Maloofs seriously fretting about their future zip code for the first time? The fact that emotions can trump common sense, and in the worst of times, overwhelm even good business sense.
Right now all bets are off. Las Vegas. Anaheim. St. Louis. San Jose. The Maloofs expected Measures Q and R to lose, but they didn't expect to be accused of sabotaging the entire undertaking. They still want to be perceived as the guys in white -- the owners who swoop in, save a franchise and build a winner. They want their favorable national image to extend as far west as Sacramento. They want to enjoy burgers and sip fine wine here, too.
"What the hell are we thinking?" asked local developer Angelo Tsakopoulos, a previous partner in the failed arena venture in Natomas. "I don't understand the way we are treating the Maloofs. What they are asking for is not unreasonable. We have to get our act together."
And fast. You can feel it. You can hear it. You can almost touch it, this seismic shift in emotion.
"We're still open," Joe Maloof said Friday. "Come to us with an idea or a proposal. We're going to talk to (NBA Commissioner) David Stern, and also meet as a family. We have to figure out a way to get past square one ... if we can, if we can. But it's just very frustrating. These deals are very hard to do, and it became too personal."
Joe Maloof was the one who, weeks earlier, contended that the arena/tax deal on the ballot might as well have been written in invisible ink. That there was no deal between the city/county and projected railyard developer Stan Thomas on infrastructure fees, and thus, no reason for the vote. But the Kings co-owners anticipated neither the lopsided election results nor the harsh reaction of the public.
So now maybe they entertain overtures elsewhere. Maybe they listen more intently, say, if Anaheim officials sweeten the terms and make a move palatable. Maybe they actually hire the moving vans and do the unthinkable. Maybe they leave.
No, this is the time for hotheads to chill, for cool heads to prevail. For the finger-pointing to abate. For the community leaders -- even those tempted to seek refuge beneath the covers -- to gather the parties back at the table, probably for one final time. The blame game benefits no one. Nor would the Kings' departure.
"I am in shock," Tsakopoulos added. "The 49ers are moving. The A's are moving. The Kings don't have an arena. What's going on? We are not doing anything to show that we can build an arena. We, as a family, believe the Kings' leaving would be a disaster."
Indeed, this might also be the time to peruse recent developments -- including the rezoning proposals behind the A's proposed move to Fremont -- and re-visit the original Natomas plan, which featured similar elements. Additionally, someone needs to assume the leadership role and establish a local coalition and aggressively approach Tsakopoulos and the region's other financial shakers and movers -- a small lot though they are. And for the first time, the public should be made to feel a party to the proceedings.
Last Tuesday, voters spoke with their ballots. But they also speak with their attendance; Kings fans continue to distinguish between business and basketball. In a recent Bee poll, six of 10 respondents identified themselves as Kings fans.
So what about this?
What if Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations, is included in the negotiations, sort of as an antidote to the winner-take-all tactics of John Thomas, president of Maloof Sports and Entertainment? If the NBA scheduled an All-Star Game in Sacramento and earmarked the proceeds for a new arena?
The big markets are outnumbered. Most of the league's 30 franchises are in small to mid-size cities, and many of them -- Kings included -- need help. The club once labeled the league's "model" franchise by Stern himself desperately needs someone to show some love. And some guidance.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.