Category: Sacramento Kings

Gov Brown signs bill to get Kings arena expedited

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SACRAMENTO–California Governor (D) Jerry Brown has signed SB 743 a bill that is designed to expedite construction of a new Kings basketball arena at the downtown mall. On the last night of the California legislation session on September 12th a law that was elected by bipartisan support that streamlines any court process that would make it difficult for judges to stop any construction on a new arena project.

It will strengthen the city’s ability to use power of eminent domain, environmental lawsuits, and the eminent domain would be used to buy the current Macy’s men’s store to make room for the facility which sits at edge part of the mall near the Holiday Inn. “It’s another huge step forward in revitalizing the center of region” said the bill’s author President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg D-Sacramento.

Brown is helping Steinberg write key provisions of the law and was a guest of honor at a Sacramento dinner when introducing the Kings newest investment partner Shaquille O’Neal where the former Orlando Magic star was tweeted lifting Brown’s wife Anne Gust Brown over his head which was seen widely over the internet, construction is estimated at $448 million.

There is a petition out now that is trying to stop the Kings from using public funds to subsidize building a new arena. If on the ballot the voters would have to approve using public funds in building any new sports facilities in Sacramento. Already the pro arena backers are planning to get behind the no votes to stop the subsidy initiative.

Ken Gimblin is covering the Sacramento Kings with Tony Renteria and Charlie O.

Kings shouldn’t have to worry about ballot initiative

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by Ken Gimblin

SACRAMENTO–When Seattle billionaire and hedge funder Chris Hansen didn’t get the Sacramento Kings and wasn’t able to buy and move them to Seattle he resorted to paying for a campaign that would put a initiative on the ballot that would ask the public if they wanted to pay with taxpayers money to build new sports facilities in Sacramento. Once it was found out that Hansen had a hand in the initiative who he paid a $50,000 fine for not reporting unfunded money at deadline for the subsidy initiative.

Hansen who wanted to buy an NBA team has put his chances in jeopardy with funding the initiative which will go on the ballot the only problem for the initiative is that it will go down to defeat and the voters will go onto support a new arena for downtown which would do wonders for Sacramento and the Kings and an arena is needed in order for them to stay. The initiative could slow down the process a bit.

The problem for the new arena is the 18,000 signatures in favor of public subsidies that Hansen funded if that hadn’t been there there would be a strong chance it wouldn’t be on the ballot. Hansen said he didn’t pay for the funding of the ballot measure which was funded for $100,000 and he paid the fine. He must have paid for it because obviously the signatures and the law firm who forward the funds to the signature gatherers Loeb & Loeb in Los Angeles wouldn’t have had it done.

So obviously he did, and it’s hard to understand why and most people in the greater Sacramento area favor a new arena for the Kings and number two this is the one item Hansen lacks in is patience and all he had to do was be patient and you could have had a nice offer and he would have had a chance and he would have had a team in Seattle in a couple of years and obviously that law firm is not going to go out and hire people if they don’t have money.

When Hansen wrote out a check to the law firm? He realized what he was doing, he wouldn’t be the wealthy man he is if he spent money and he didn’t know what he was doing. If Hansen says he didn’t fund the campaign the Easter bunny doesn’t come at Easter and what he’s saying has the same validity but make no mistake this initiative will be on the June 2014 Sacramento ballot and you could thank Chris Hansen for that because without his support there may not be enough to make the ballots.

It’s going to go on the ballot and there is a great chance it’s going to be defeated. There is a lot of law firms I respect but Loeb and Loeb to work with Hansen to do something like this I have no respect for at all. It’s like any profession whether it’s teaching, medicine, or law some individuals you don’t respect so as long as there’s money out there I’m not surprised that somebody wouldn’t take it.

Hansen did himself a great disservice by funding the initiative and I’m surprised he did this because Hansen was really going to have a shot at bidding on another NBA team or expansion team and all Hansen had to do was be patient and I guess Hansen wanted it right away and that’s why he did it. A majority of people want a new arena for the Kings who live and can vote in Sacramento will vote for the new arena. This will benefit not just the Kings but the city and it’s going to be very positive and it’s going to go on the ballot but the public subsidy will go down to defeat once it gets in front of the voters.

Ken Gimblin is covering the Sacramento Kings for Sportstalk Radio

Anti Kings arena groups close to getting initiative on ballot

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by Ken Gimblin
Thursday September 19, 2013

SACRAMENTO–In what will be a grass root effort by anti Sacramento Kings arena groups Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed To Pork or STOP are within a few thousand signatures of getting an initiative on the ballot that all new sports facilities in Sacramento that are being publicly funded will have to go through voter approval before any public money is spent on any new facility. The anti arena movement confirmed that they have now 18,000 signed petitions which were financed by Chris Hansen who wanted to move the Kings to Seattle.

Hansen who was fined $50,000 for not revealing that he was the financier of the petitions missed the state deadline code to file with office of elections. Hansen wanted to be a quiet contributor to the petition drive so that he would have a chance at getting an NBA team in the future or the Kings if the initiative passed and public funds couldn’t be used. Hansen only revealed himself after he was forced to come clean on who contributed to the campaign to put the initiative on the ballot. Hansen later apologized for his campaign contribution after realizing the NBA who granted the Kings to stay in Sacramento probably will not want to do business with Hansen since he played a role in contributing to a campaign drive in Sacramento that stop public subsidies for the Kings arena.

Hansen has demanded that all the petitions be returned to him, STOP has said the campaign to put the initiative on the ballot will go forward and that the campaign is close to making the resolution, “these petitions represent the will of 18,000 people who took the time to provide their signatures and express their desire to put this tax subsidy to a vote.” said STOP president Julian Camacho.

STOP is living up to their full name in trying to stop public funding of the arena “make no mistake, this initiative will qualify” said STOP’s treasurer Jim Cathcart. Doug Elmets spokesman for the 2006 initiative that proposed using tax monies to finance a new arena in 06 that failed said there is enough political power in Sacramento to defeat the initiative, “all the invested parties are going to be out in droves trying to defeat this initiative, when you combine, business, labor, and local government all who are eager to see the arena built you’ll see an incredibly well funded effort.”

Ken Gimblin is covering Kings basketball for Sportstalk Radio

Kings Arena: Battle getting started between union and non-union contractors

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By Ken Gimblin

SACRAMENTO–Non Union construction workers aren’t buying that they’ll get a fair shot at working on the new Kings arena. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson last Thursday addressed the media, fans, politicians, community groups, and contractors that union contractors will be getting top bidding for working on the Kings new arena. That’s when the fireworks began when Kevin Dayton a Roseville political consultant took the microphone from the podium where Johnson had been speaking and said that there will be a fight that non union workers should have a shot at working on the new arena.

The project estimated at $448 million had Dayton and Eric Christen who heads a San Diego coalition for Fair employment in construction who is in favor of non-union contractors and who has worked with Dayton said there is enough work for both union and non-union workers on the project that keeping non-union contractors out is discrimination. Johnson during his speech is leaning towards using union contractors something that Christen said was not fair to non union workers “our guys are furious about this, opponents of taxpayer funding for this arena just found an aggressive new ally today.” said Christen

The Mayor introduced the “community workforce and training agreement” which was signed by lead contractor Turner Construction and the Sacramento-Sierra Building and Construction trades council. The part that boiled the non-union contractors in the agreement was that there will be a no strike clause and that an estimated 3,500 jobs were promised to be union. Also union or non-union contractors would receive union scale and benefits. The agreement also spells out that 60-70 percent of the workers must be from the Sacramento area.

Kings president Chris Granger assured the crowd that the new arena will be up and ready by 2016 one year before the proposed 2017 target date. Granger was excited that the building would be ready one year earlier this “will provide us with great comfort and certainty” said Granger.

Chris Mullin signed as team advisor: Basketball Hall of Famer Chris Mullin said he was excited about being part of putting a winning team together again as the Kings owner Vivek Ranadive will make Muillin his principal advisor. Trusting the NBA veteran and his managerial experience also a huge amount of his playing experience and success Ranadive has the full confidence that Mullin can spot top notch talent that would help the Kings move to being one of the top tier teams in the NBA, “I’m especially grateful for the unique opportunity to work in close proximity, with a world class ownership group led by Vivek Ranadive and the talented group of individuals assembled in our front office.” said Mullin.

Mullin brings a lot of qualifications to the job, a five time NBA All-Star in 16 seasons with the Warriors and Pacers, during his career he averaged 18.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 986 games. Mullin is a gold medal winner, winning two in each of the 1984 and 1992 Olympics, in 1985 Mullin won the John Wooden Award for most outstanding college player. It was during that time when he and Patrick Ewing were the two top prospects out of the college ranks. Mullin was selected out of St.John’s as a seventh pick by Golden State and Ewing was selected by the New York Knicks.

In his retirement days he worked in the Golden State front office as executive vice president of operations in 2004, Mullin worked at the Warriors for five seasons. Mullin worked with current Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro who worked at Golden State from 2004-08 as an assistant General Manager.

Ken Gimblin is covering the Kings for Sportstalk Radio