Natomas business leaders admitted Monday they’re fighting an uphill battle to avoid losing the Sacramento Kings arena. At a morning press conference, Natomas Chamber of Commerce leaders said they’re asking Mayor Kevin Johnson and the Sacramento City Council to reject a task force recommendation announced Friday. The task force, which was appointed by the mayor, recommends Sacramento developer David Taylor and a Colorado sports facility developer be chosen to explore building an arena downtown over the next three months. That team won the recommendation over three others, including one backed by the Natomas chamber. "Natomas is not giving up the fight to keep the arena in Natomas," said

Natomas business leaders have a critical meeting Thursday in their fight to keep the arena from moving downtown. Natomas Chamber of Commerce President Ed Koop and N Magazine Publisher Emeritus Marni Leger, who chairs the chamber's Keep Arena committee, are set to meet at City Hall with City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby. They'll discuss the advantages they see in a revised proposal to build a new sports and entertainment complex on 100 acres of city-owned land adjacent to Arco Arena. The original proposal, created by Natomas Entertainment Sports Center Partners, was one of seven submitted to the city late last year to construct a new arena in Sacramento. They'll also ask Ashby to help ke

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson asked city staff Tuesday night to present new ideas on a sports and entertainment complex in mid-January. Johnson also said he would reconvene his Sacramento First task force, which has analyzed several arena plans in recent months. At their weekly meeting, council members briefly discussed pitfalls with efforts to build a new sports and entertainment center. A complex plan for a new downtown arena spearheaded by developers Gerry Kamilos and David Taylor recently failed. The plan called on Cal Expo to be a major partner, but Cal Expo decided not to join the effort.  Marni Leger, speaking on behalf of the Natomas Chamber of Commerce, urged the council to co

The Natomas Chamber of Commerce today criticized the NBA and Maloofs for backing an arena plan weeks before the Sacramento First task force is scheduled to make its recommendations to Mayor Kevin Johnson and the public. In a statment released today, chamber officials announced plans to launch a "Keep The Arena In Natomas" campaign during a press conference set for 11 a.m. Saturday at Five Star Way and Del Paso Road. The chamber is a partner in the Natomas ESC group which presented a proposal at City Hall yesterday for an arena and entertainment complex on 100 city-owned acres located north of Arco Arena.   "Natomas needs representation in the discussion about where a new sports complex