John Gladding comment-45003 2011-02-02T21:16:08Z 2011-02-02T21:16:08Z FYI, I asked the Beyonce reference be removed. I had heard it a few times before but I couldn't find an official reference to it. I don't want to be the source for an unsubstantiated rumor! John Gladding 2011-02-02T21:16:08Z Billyjames4545 comment-44899 2011-02-02T02:35:07Z 2011-02-02T02:35:07Z I know that many kings fans are in support of a 5% ticket increase or "New arena fee" to help pay for a new arena as well, but unfortunately this has not been mentioned or even thought of by any of the development teams or people in play as I have heard. To me, it would be an obvious way to offset some of the building cost right now today. Think of it as a tax for people that actual see a benefit to a new arena and want to support it. Billyjames4545 2011-02-02T02:35:07Z JOS comment-44870 2011-02-01T21:01:49Z 2011-02-01T21:01:49Z John- Good article, especially the part about the tourism tax. Too many people shoot down any plan with said tax without ever understanding its purpose and who actually pays for it. I hope an arangement can be made. JOS 2011-02-01T21:01:49Z Curmudgeon comment-44863 2011-02-01T19:46:12Z 2011-02-01T19:46:12Z Austin also has lower taxes and a pro-business, rather than an anti-business, mentality. Curmudgeon 2011-02-01T19:46:12Z John Gladding comment-44840 2011-02-01T17:35:32Z 2011-02-01T17:35:32Z I never factored it in because arena or not, it's a separate issue. It's a loan and the Maloofs have been paying it off. As for Natomas - I think there are many solutions but Natomas shouldn't be throwing roadblocks if it's not in "the plan". They'd have probably 5 years to find a major tenant - theme park, golf course, major employer, etc... my point is that the public needs to be supportive of this project. It's not just Natomas who has a stake in this, all of Sacramento does if it is unsuccessful. John Gladding 2011-02-01T17:35:32Z 20SomethingSac comment-44837 2011-02-01T17:28:45Z 2011-02-01T17:28:45Z The Sonics leaving Seattle is not comparable to the Kings leaving Sacramento, as Seattle still has a professional baseball team, professional football team, and a professional soccer team. They only made up a portion of the city's professional sports scene, so of course the effects aren't as apparent. Although the expense of building a new arena may cost a few dollars, the long term negative effects of NOT building one, given how long we've taken to (not yet) accomplish this, will be much more severe to the region. One good player left Cleveland, and the whole city was upset and angry... The Kings leaving Sacramento would be a LeBron-Cleveland scenario on steroids. There are a lot of people that are not into sports and could care less if the team stays. I, myself, am not into theaters and plays, and don't see myself ever spending my money on tickets. But I understand what the arts mean for a city, and how happy they make others. Knowing that, I do not decry the actions of the city, giving MY tax dollars to support a new theater on H Street. 20SomethingSac 2011-02-01T17:28:45Z camille7444 comment-44831 2011-02-01T17:06:25Z 2011-02-01T17:06:25Z John, my intent in bringing up the Maloof loan was not to suggest that the Maloofs have defaulted on the loan or are somehow trying to avoid it. My point was to emphasize that any deal for a new Sports & Entertainment complex in our downtown core would HAVE to include a solution to this debt as well as a solution to what happens to the existing Arco site so that Natomas is not compromised. camille7444 2011-02-01T17:06:25Z John Gladding comment-44812 2011-02-01T07:03:49Z 2011-02-01T07:03:49Z FYI about the loan to the Kings, the Maloofs have never missed a payment, as set up by the city. People act as if they are trying to avoid it and forget it ever happened. That is not the case. John Gladding 2011-02-01T07:03:49Z camille7444 comment-44759 2011-02-01T05:22:19Z 2011-02-01T05:22:19Z The City of Austin is one of my favorite or at least top 3 cities I've traveled to in the U.S. One of the things that Austin has done a great job of is giving tax incentives to corporations in order to lure them into establishing a headquarters or some sort of major presence within the city limits. Minneapolis is another city that has done this effectively. Another key to the success and vitality of both cities has been the strong presence of higher education. Sacramento needs to do a better job in both luring large corporations and installing more higher education facilities in and around the city core. A Sports and Entertainment complex that focuses on events 365 days a week similar to what complex operators are doing in Kansas City and what Oklahoma City did before eventually landing the Thunder would continue the momentum in our downtown core. Especially if the Sports & Entertainment complex is put where the current Westfield Downtown Plaza site is located. This would really kill two birds with one stone. The complex needs to be flexible and have more than one professional team playing in it. Think of the possibilities of having pro hockey team, pro indoor soccer team, pro basketball team, and Division 1 college basketball tournaments all along with major entertainment acts and concerts. This complex should not be built around the Maloofs and believing that they must be involved in order for things to work out. The complex should financially make sense. That means minimal public subsidy other than donation of city owned land and creative revenue sharing of parking that results in a gain in revenue for the City. This would be in contrast to revenue going to the Maloofs as currently setup at Arco. The plan for the complex should allow for other uses on the Westfield site such as retail, housing, higher education, parks, amenities, etc. The plan for the complex should address the Maloof's $60 million plus existing debt and include a development plan for what to do with the existing Natomas site to keep it "as good" if not better than how it currently is so that the residents of Natomas are not negatively impacted. Sacramento is not a pit. Its Midtown has experienced a renaissance over the past couple decades of restaurants, retail, art, culture, urban living, and more. We are the City of Trees, friendly and welcoming to the Gay & Lesbian population, have world class bike trails, rivers, and more. During the worst economic climate seen in a very long time we are still seeing exciting redevelopment projects being completed and moving forward. We are still seeing people trying everyday to make our city better. Think of the economic impact of having 10-20,000 plus people each night pour out onto our quickly developing K St and downtown after an event. Think about them consuming, living, and breathing our downtown prior to an event. I think about what AT&T Park has done for SOMA or what Petco has done for the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego and think with proper planning and a focus on the financial we can do even better and improve our downtown core that much more. camille7444 2011-02-01T05:22:19Z JordynnM comment-44758 2011-02-01T05:20:09Z 2011-02-01T05:20:09Z Scola Im srry to inform u I am from the Seattle area and it has effeceted our economy from the jobs that were lost. But I will say we still have the Key Arena and the WNBA still plays there so there are still jobs and smaller concerts still play in the Key but many artist wont play there. and would it up the economy if there was a NBA team back in Seattle I think it would. More jobs more money being put in to the economy. And if Seattle can pay for a Billionair from Microsoft's arean aka Quest Fild and we also payed for a Muliti Billion dollor corparations fild AKA Safco Fild. Then I don't see why we couldnt Pay for a new NBA Arena. And it is very much a good Investment to make it will help our economy and the people in the area. It provides entertainment for the people of Washington State. And i can tell you many people wish they would of voted for a new arena. And if u go out there and ask ppl will say they would vote yes in a heart beat to bring our nba team back. U clearly have no idea what ur talking about and Im a Kings fan have been and always will be. So im pro Tourism Tax I'd pay it when Im up there to see my team play. JordynnM 2011-02-01T05:20:09Z Scola comment-44750 2011-02-01T04:37:53Z 2011-02-01T04:37:53Z Sacramento IS undesirable. A basketball arena isn't going to change that. Sports stadiums are a terrible investment. They are amongst the worst things you can spend money on. Have you ever met someone who said "I moved to city X for the basketball team" who doesn't play for that basketball team? Have you ever met a company exec who said "You know, I'm in New York for the Knicks, not Wall Street." I lived in Seattle when the Supersonics left town. It made zero difference to the local economy. None. Sacramento and Austin, Texas are similar sized cities. Austin is a bit bigger, whereas the Sacramento metro area is a bit bigger than the Austin area. Both are state capitols. Austin has no sports teams. Yet, Austin is the headquarters of companies from Dell to Whole Foods. Austin punches above its weight as much as Sacramento punches below. Why? Maybe because Austin invests in being an interesting place with a world-renown music scene instead of luring the Kings. It's cheaper and it's much more effective than a basketball arena. Sacramento without the NBA is a pit. Sacramento with an NBA team is a pit with a basketball team. Scola 2011-02-01T04:37:53Z