by Ken Gimblin

SACRAMENTO-Business leaders in Old Sacramento have asked the Sacramento Kings to switch their tip offs to 7:30 PM instead of the usual 7:00 PM starting time. Business leaders say that dinner time is usually around 7pm and if the Kings tip is at 7pm too traffic would be a snarl going to Old Town, “Old Sacramento has very real existing transportation, parking, connectivitey issues, which the construction and operation of the arena will amplify” wrote Howard Skalet of Skalet Family Jewlers and Chris McSwain group executive director of 120 businesses that are involved with Old Sac.

McSwain and Skalet said a recent environmental report doesn’t include the issue of traffic tie ups at the 7PM hour and that the report being released without that information is misleading, “the (report) incorrectly and unfairly shifts the responsibility for negative impacts to Old Sacramento from nearly a half billion dollar construction project to small family owned businesses” concluded the report.

The Old Sac group is asking for 300 additional parking spaces to help allieviate the traffic near Old Town when the 7PM tip gets underway, the group also stated that they would be pleased when the Kings have their arena at the Mall location but Old Town is asking for some help in getting diners into Old Sac without fighting for parking and traffic access.

McSwain said the underpass that connects Old Sac to the Westfield Mall is not safe and the Old Sac group may ask for a safer passage way between the arena and Old Sacramento. Fans, diners, and tourists alike are being encouraged to walk to Old Sacramento and the new arena once everything is set up.

City Councilman McCarty says Kings investment group owners wanted more than claimed for arena deal: Sacramento Councilman Kevin McCarty made claim that in early 2013 the Sacramento Kings investment group had approached asking if the city would put up more than the $258 million public funds subsidy that the city was offering.

At the time those of the group were identified by McCarty as, Sacramento develper David Taylor, lobbyist and businessman David Anderson and Frank Quintero, and Southern California Billionaire Ron Burkle who had to later step down from the group because of conflict of interest issues.

The trio of Anderson, Quintero, and Burkle wanted more the from public subsidies than the $258 million figure at that time. Recently testifying at a closed door deposition for a lawsuit filed against the use of subsidies for the new Kings arena McCarty testified as read in the 133 page deposition that there were subsidies on the term sheet that were not accounted for, “I view that the city provided a normal of subsidies that weren’t properly accounted for monetarily in the term sheet.”

McCarty testified that the group wanted to inflate the $258 million another $125 million additional which the current Kings owners under managing partner Vivek Ranadive are reportedly asking for more in public subsidies, “so called whales lobbied me and other council members asking the city if they would contribute more than last year’s $258 million subsidy and using the number $125 million more because they were overpaying.”

Ken Gimblin is covering the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors new arena developments for Sportstalk radio