Friday’s news that the deal for an entertainment and sports complex is essentially dead isn’t stopping a grassroots effort to ensure large public expenditure on private ventures be vetted through a public vote. Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork (STOP) announced their goal of collecting enough signatures to give the public a vote on the arena financing last month, and they now have the petitions in-hand to start gathering signatures. “We’re still concerned that even if this plan’s dead, there may be another plan that’s either as bad or worse to spend public money on a private venture at (the downtown railyards),” STOP spokesman Richard Tolmach said Friday afternoon. The grassroots org

Mayor Kevin Johnson admitted defeat Friday as the deal to build a new arena and keep the Kings in Sacramento failed despite the “blood, sweat, tears and effort” that Johnson said went into it. “Is the deal as we know it dead? Absolutely,” Johnson said. In what turned out to be the third major press conference in New York Friday regarding the arena deal, Johnson told media that he is baffled by the Kings owners, the Maloofs, and he doesn’t understand how things fell to this point. “We felt we had an agreement (in Orlando), they didn’t feel that we did. That’s a pretty fundamental difference,” Johnson said. “It became very clear by their actions today that they didn’t want to make a deal.

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

Here are some tweets taken from the Sacramento area mentioning the words "Maloofs," "Kings," and or "arena" between 6 a.m. Thursday and 1 p.m. Friday. The Sacramento Press used a beta version of iWitness to compile this list of tweets.                "Kings Blog: The Morning After: Kings effort, basketball smarts, lack consistency sacb.ee/HNTi7m" — The Sacramento Bee (@sacbee_news) April 12, 2012   "City Beat: Maloofs respond to criticism of Sacramento business leaders sacb.ee/IbmrFP" — The Sacramento Bee (@sacbee_news) April 12, 2012   "City Beat: City: Maloofs' records request created perception they want arena to fail sacb.ee/IbBjUz" — The Sacramento Bee (@sacbee_news) April 12

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

Self-described “world-famous” Sacramento bounty hunter Leonard Padilla is making his fifth bid for mayor – and this time he intends to win. Padilla, 72, said Wednesday that the decision to run for mayor has always been an easy one for him to make because running for political office brings a valuable opportunity to candidates. “You have things that you want to say publicly, and the mayor’s race gives you that ability,” Padilla said. “It gets you out there to where you keep up with what’s happening in the city, and you are forced to learn about sewer rates, water rates, garbage and the budget. It forces you into a situation where you have to just learn.” The key difference for Padilla in

Even as the Sacramento Kings’ owners backpedal on a deal struck with the city and arena operator AEG, Mayor Kevin Johnson and the City Council voted 7-2 in favor of spending nearly $13 million on pre-development work associated with the new arena – $200,000 of that advanced from the NBA on behalf of the Maloofs. Less than one month after Johnson returned from Orlando announcing a deal had been struck, the Kings’ owners, the Maloof family, started balking at paying a share of the pre-development costs, which include development of the site plan for the arena and preparing for environmental reviews. In a March 20 letter to the city, the Maloofs expressed doubts about the city’s ability to

The city will be responsible for the majority of the cost of a new entertainment and sports complex, according to the much-anticipated financial term sheet released Thursday – a total of nearly $256 million. The contribution from Anschutz Entertainment Group, the new arena operator, will be $58.75 million, according to the terms of the agreement, and the Sacramento Kings owners, the Maloof family, is bringing in $73.25 million. The term sheet outlines the specifics of who pays for what to get a new arena built downtown and provides a framework for negotiations with potential parking operators – the linchpin in the city’s ability to meet its part of the deal. Representatives of the Think

Tuesday on Insight on Capital Public Radio, I spoke with host David Watts Barton and Think Big Sacramento Executive Director Chris Lehane about the tentative arena deal brokered in Orlando that will keep the Kings in Sacramento. The framework of the agreement was negotiated over the three-day NBA All-Star Weekend during numerous closed-door discussions between Mayor Kevin Johnson, a delegation from Sacramento, Kings’ owners and NBA officials. The exact terms of the deal will be revealed Thursday, but early reports from the mayor’s office indicated it includes an estimated $75 million contribution from Kings’ owners, the Maloof family, and an estimated $60 million from arena operator Ansc

Mayor Kevin Johnson headed back to Sacramento Monday from Orlando with news that an agreement has been reached to keep the Kings in Sacramento. "Today is a new day for Sacramento and a defining moment for our community,” Johnson said in an email statement Monday. The terms of the agreement include an upfront contribution of nearly $75 million from the Kings’ owners, the Maloof family, and an additional $75 million over the life of the deal through ticket surcharges. The exact terms of the agreement are expected to be made public by Thursday – the original deadline set by the NBA to have a deal in place. Johnson, the Maloofs and NBA representatives had been in discussions throughout the

Mayor Kevin Johnson and NBA Commissioner David Stern released a joint statement today outlining an updated timeline for finalizing terms of a new arena deal for Sacramento. According to the release, the city of Sacramento and the NBA are continuing “constructive discussions” on the details of a financing plan for a new entertainment and sports complex. Johnson said at his weekly press conference Tuesday that details of a completed financing term sheet were expected to be available to the public by Thursday, in advance of a Feb. 28 City Council discussion and vote on the plan. Wednesday’s press release, however, offers an adjusted timeline in an effort to “ensure adequate time for public

City Manager John Shirey withdrew a contract Tuesday with two firms that the City Council planned to consider as financial and technical advisers in the search for a potential parking operator lessee, assistant city manager John Dangberg said Wednesday. “We decided it just wasn’t the right direction to go for the process at this time,” Dangberg said. The city hired the firms – Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Walker Parking Consultants – in September to take an inventory of the city’s parking and come up with an evaluation of potential profit from leasing out the assets. Leasing out the city’s parking system is one of a handful of options under consideration for financing a new sports

The question of whether Sacramento will get a new sports arena heated up this year, as Sacramento Kings owners threatened to relocate the team to Anaheim and potential arena sites – such as a land swap with Cal Expo – came and went. Despite an emotional rollercoaster ride for Kings fans this year, supporters of the team refused to throw up their hands in defeat. Here’s what 2011 looked like from the bleachers. As plans for a land swap between the state fairgrounds at Cal Expo and the current Natomas arena site fell through, a task force appointed by Mayor Kevin Johnson recommended that Sacramento developer group ICON-Taylor explore the viability of building an arena in the downtown area.

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 Sacramento Kings' majority owners reacted positively to a new plan for a proposed $387 million arena project unveiled Thursday, but admitted they're anxious to see whether the plan can be turned into reality. Developers told the Sacramento City Council a $241 million arena, with a total project cost of $387 million, could be built by early 2015 if a mix of public and private funding can be pulled together. During a two-and-a-half-hour presentation, ICON Venue Group President Tim Romani, Sacramento developer David Taylor and others on an arena development team provided the public with many details of the plan. Afterward, team co-owners Gavin and Joe Maloof told reporters they have a

I attended the Kings victory rally at Cesar Chavez Plaza last night, but I did so reluctantly. I am on record as being somewhat immune to Kings fever, to say the least. I appreciate them for what they do for the town, and I am sensitive to what their departure would mean for us as a city. It wouldn’t be good. But I’m not a fan. So I went grudgingly, mostly because I live nearby and it was on my way somewhere else. It was a news event regarding a crucial current concern. Why not? I left, if not a believer, then certainly more engaged than I had been, and even a little moved. I don’t love the Sacramento Kings, but I have loved the Giants of old, the A’s in their heyday and the 49ers when

Forces now allied behind the Sacramento Kings gathered steam Tuesday in their collective bid to build a more successful team and move the region closer to constructing a new arena. That effort will be aided by retired Kings player Chris Webber, who said on television Monday night he's lined up private investors to fund a new arena in place of taxpayers. "Within the year, we're going to make some special things happen," Webber said on TNT's "Inside the NBA." "The goal is to keep the team there." Webber hinted about his involvement on Twitter Monday after the Kings' owners announced they'd leave the team here for at least one year to give Sacramento more time to pursue building a new spor

The owners of the Sacramento Kings announced Monday the team will stay put for at least one more season – giving the region and the National Basketball Association time for one final push to build a new arena. NBA officials quickly announced a commitment to make one last effort over the next 10 months to pave the way to replace Power Balance Pavilion. The league is sending nine people to Sacramento Tuesday to provide expert support in the regional effort to construct a new arena and to help the Kings' owners, the Maloofs, lead the team to a successful next season, NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a teleconference Monday afternoon. Kings fans, elected officials and business leaders re

George Maloof's comment this morning that keeping the Kings in Sacramento for one more year is "the right thing to do" struck me as disingenuous.  Since when is "doing the right thing" the way the Maloofs operate? This was not a decision based on principle. It was based on money, and a lot of other things far beyond the M-Bro's control. They simply weren't able to pull the move off. Yet. That said, this morning's announcement that the Kings will be staying in Sacramento is unalloyed good news. Whether or not the Kings staying in Sacramento is ultimately the "right" thing for Sacramento is still up in the air; but today, it is very much a good thing. Whether that remains true going forwa

With just three days to go before the Kings' deadline to file for relocation, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said Friday he's not sure who has the ball – but Sacramento officials hope a regionally coordinated effort to build an arena will make enough of a difference that the National Basketball Association and the Kings' owners keep the team here another year. Billionaire Henry Samueli, whose company manages Anaheim's Honda Center, upped the ante Wednesday when he offered to personally invest more than $70 million for improvements at the Honda Center and provide a personal loan of at least $75 million to the Maloofs. Samueli, who owns the Anaheim Ducks hockey team, also revealed $30 mill