Sacramento Press: Mayor Johnson on the state of arena discussions

City leaders to start new arena dialogue

by Suzanne Hurt, published on March 8, 2011 at 6:58PM

The Sacramento Press

This spring, city leaders expect to begin a new effort to determine whether the community will support public funding for a new arena – even if the Sacramento Kings leave, Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday.


City officials plan to start a new discussion with the public after a development team presents an analysis and list of financing options to build a sports and entertainment center, he said.

The analysis is currently scheduled to be presented to the Sacramento City Council in May.

By that time, the Kings' future should be more certain. The Maloofs, who own a majority share of the team, are working on a deal to move the team to Anaheim before next season and are expected to discuss that with the NBA Board of Governors April 14-15. The team must request permission to move by April 18 under an NBA deadline extension.

Mistakes may have been made in past efforts to build a new arena in Sacramento, Johnson said.

"I think it was a mistake if we framed it a few years ago like we were building something for the Kings.... It should not have been just about them," he said in a Tuesday morning press conference at City Hall. "I think the public felt it was something that was being jammed down their throats."

The ICON-Taylor team had agreed to provide the city with two analyses – one with the Sacramento Kings as the major tenant and one without the team.

The developers may only be able to conduct the latter analysis because the Maloofs have said they will only provide the Kings’ financial information if the team stays.

Johnson suggested the community may be more likely to support building a new arena if the Kings and Maloofs are out of the picture.

"I think the public feels a lot better now knowing it's not only about the Kings, it's really about us as a community," he said. "The fact that we may be on the brink of losing our team and the key variable in this is an arena.... The public understands that in a different way."

However, the community would be losing a "major employer" without the Kings and an arena, he said.

During the press conference, two people who work at the Kings' home arena in Natomas, recently renamed the Power Balance Pavilion, said they and their families would suffer if the Kings left and a new arena isn't built.


The mayor applauded fans' ongoing efforts to keep the Kings in Sacramento. Some Kings fans are lobbying the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers to vote "no" on allowing the Kings to move to Southern California, he said.

However, Johnson said he wants people to be realistic about their ability to impact the Maloofs' decision.

"I just want to make sure everyone's expectations are in alignment with the reality that we're facing," he said.

"They are, in my estimation, doing everything they can to make a deal happen in Anaheim."

The City Council is expected to discuss how the schedule for the arena's financial analysis may be impacted by the recent news about the team's possible move and the Maloofs' unwillingness to provide financial data to the developers, he added.

Regional leaders may be called together next week for an update and to get their input on building a new arena.

If the team stays in Sacramento, the team's owners will have to spend money to recruit more good players, Johnson said.

"Over the last couple years, the basketball product that was put on the court hasn't been as competitive," he said. "And the basketball product on the court has not connected with the fan base in terms of rekindling or creating that energy and excitement. We haven't spent the dollars that we needed to win."


Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.