After a year of negotiations, economic reports and financial cartwheels by city officials and Sacramento Kings owners, NBA Commissioner David Stern said it appears the deal for a new Sacramento arena is dead. “I am extremely disappointed on behalf of both the Maloofs and the city of Sacramento,” Stern said at a New York press conference Friday, “but I think there is nothing further to be done.” Stern said the NBA Board of Governors met Thursday with the Sacramento Kings team owners, the Maloofs, and – after hearing a “detailed and thorough” presentation – Stern said the board came to some simple conclusions. “(In Orlando) we had an agreement in principle – a framework, a handshake deal

Sacramento Kings owners and their attorneys told media Friday that not only was there never a solid deal with the city for a new arena, but – if the mayor isn’t willing to negotiate – there never will be one. “The mayor said he’s not negotiating? Then he killed the deal on his own terms,” team owner George Maloof said at a press conference in New York. “It’s over.” The morning press conference opened with Kings attorney Barry McNeil giving a detailed timeline of events in the “arena saga,” starting with the Maloofs’ initial proposal to move the Kings to Anaheim in 2010. “We want to demonstrate to you that the Kings have exercised their best efforts over the past 12 months to get a new a

The push to put a city parking lease to a vote fell flat Tuesday as the City Council rejected a motion to put the question on the June ballot. It was City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy who first suggested in November that the voters should have a say in whether the city leases its parking inventory to an outside company. She conducted a city-wide poll on her website in October, which indicated that 70 percent of respondents favored a public vote on a potential 50-year lease, according to Sheedy. “The (arena) plan hinges on leasing the city’s parking for 50 years,” Sheedy said Tuesday. “I think such a massive public investment warrants a public vote.” Still, after almost an hour of public d

Mayor Kevin Johnson spoke confidently Tuesday about the possibility of a new entertainment and sports complex becoming a reality for Sacramento – despite the challenges ahead. “We are at a critical juncture in this process,” Johnson said. “On the court, our team needs to play well. Off the court, I feel good about the progress we’re making on the new entertainment sports complex and the financing.” Johnson said that – on the public side of the equation – the city is moving forward with its “due diligence” on a plan to lease out the city parking system as part of the financial plan for a new arena. “On the private side,” Johnson added, “AEG and ICON and all those folks are doing their pa

The City Council voted 7-2 Tuesday to pursue an agreement that could potentially bring in $250 million for a new arena by leasing the city’s parking system to a private operator. “This is just one piece – a very important piece – in our ability to build an entertainment sports complex,” City Manager John Shirey said Tuesday. Council members Darrell Fong and Sandy Sheedy were the only “no” votes. A recent analysis of the city’s parking system concluded that the city could lease the parking system to a private operator for 50 years – releasing all revenue and control of the system for the life of the lease – and receive an up-front lump payment of nearly $250 million. With an ongoing cit

Local sporting goods store manager Troy Bedal walked away as the big winner Tuesday in the Think Big Sacramento Citizen Architect competition with a personalized brick Walk of Fame design inspired by a similar design at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Bedal and the two runners-up – Shaun Baland, 42, a state worker from Lincoln, and Gary Bladen, 24, a recent UC Davis graduate working on sustainable development – gathered at City Hall for the announcement Tuesday along with Think Big committee members Greg Hayes and Carla Collins Mixon and local artist and competition judge David Garibaldi. The competition – a contest to design a portion of the planned entertainment and sports complex – opened

Fair Political Practices Commission Enforcement Division Chief Gary Winuk said Wednesday a case would not be opened based on a complaint filed with the FPPC Friday. The complaint, filed by Robert Langdon, Jr., alleged that Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy violated the Political Reform Act with a recent public opinion poll authorized by her office and paid for with campaign funds. Winuk sent a letter to Langdon Wednesday stating that “after review of the complaint, the information you provided is insufficient to establish a violation of the act.” Langdon, a court liaison for Sacramento County Family Court and a Sacramento Kings fan, confirmed Monday evening that he sent the complaint because he

A complaint filed Friday with the Fair Political Practices Commission against Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy alleges election law violations stemming from a recent poll authorized through her office. The Oct. 24 poll was conducted by a polling firm hired by Sheedy to determine public opinion on potential financing plans for the proposed entertainment and sports complex. According to the complaint filed by Sacramento resident Robert Langdon, Jr., Sheedy may have violated sections of the Political Reform Act of 1974 related to telephone advocacy and misuse of a public figure’s official position. “(Langdon’s) allegations are completely without merit,” Joann Cummins, Sheedy’s district director,

The City Council will consider approving $550,000 in fees Tuesday to bring in experts on sports finance, parking, investment banking and municipal finance to help dig through the details of a complex – and uncertain – arena financing plan. At the Sept. 13 council meeting, City Manager John Shirey told council members that, in order to “proceed with due diligence” on the proposed arena project, the city would need the help of outside professional services. “The City Council and the public deserve to have good information in order to make good decisions,” Assistant City Manager John Dangberg said Monday. Members of the arena focus group, Think Big Sacramento, presented a much-anticipated

Designs for an outdoor amphitheater, an open-air plaza and a walk of fame were announced Tuesday as the top three contenders in the Think Big Sacramento Citizen Architect competition – a contest to design a portion of the planned entertainment sports complex. The contest, which began in July, has been touted by the Think Big Sacramento committee as a way for the public to “leave its legacy” on the new complex, according to a press release. Ideas submitted by Troy Bedal, a sporting goods store manager from Roseville, Shaun Baland, a state worker from Lincoln, and Gary Bladen, a recent UC Davis graduate working on sustainable development, were chosen as the top three out of more than 20 su

City staff and Think Big Sacramento representatives presented the City Council with technical and financial option reports on the proposed entertainment and sports complex Tuesday, and asked council to direct them where to go next. “We have a lot of work to do in the next six months,” said City Manager John Shirey, “and we need both internal and external resources to do it.” To keep things moving forward, though, Shirey told council members that he plans to deliver three things: “a game plan with a timeline, a list of the consultant work we need and a list of how we’ll pay for those things.” Although the technical report presented Tuesday included more detail than previous reports, Shir

A federal funding program allowing foreign investors to provide low-interest loans in return for green cards was one potential arena funding source highlighted in the long-awaited Think Big Sacramento Committee report, which was revealed to the public at a Sacramento Press Club luncheon Thursday. The program, while not a solution in its own right, could buy time, allowing publicly owned land to increase in value for sale at a higher rate, according to officials. Both of those options are parts of the “menu of options” the Think Big Sacramento group was tasked with providing earlier this year. More than 120 business leaders, a few Kings fans and most of Sacramento’s media gathered for the

Take some vacant, unused city-owned land, sell the land to investors for development and reap the benefits of construction jobs, economic growth and money to help finance a new downtown arena. That’s the latest idea being considered by the Think Big Sacramento committee, according to a report released at a press conference Thursday. The press conference was held at a city-owned dirt lot at the corner of Front and V streets, which is one of the examples cited in the report of public land that could be sold for profit – and would result in jobs related to the development of the property. “Properties like this could be put in the mix to draw and generate money from developers,” said Think

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP), in collaboration with a consulting team from the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, released a report on the potential economic impacts of an Entertainment and Sports Complex (ESC) in the Railyards earlier this month. The report suggests that a well-integrated complex with parallel investment in Downtown’s core assets, including Old Sacramento, Downtown Plaza, JKL Retail Corridor, and the Convention Center, will maximize economic impact and strengthen the surrounding neighborhood. “We believe that an Entertainment and Sports Complex belongs Downtown and has the potential to stimulate economic activity,” said DSP Executive Director Michael Au