Stadium, parking and Here We Stay update

The fight to keep the Kings did not end in May with the announcements by David Stern and the Maloof family that they would give Sacramento one more chance to get a new entertainment and sports facility built in the capitol city.  Mayor Kevin Johnson and his team have been busy putting together a financing plan that will hopefully take care of the pesky $387 million cost of a new building.  That plan needs to be in place by March 1, 2012, but the mayor’s office has to lay a lot of ground work before a definitive agreement is put into place.

During a December 13th Sacramento City Council meeting, Mayor Johnson is going to roll out a plan to lease 8000+ Downtown Sacramento area parking spaces to a private parking firm and possibly even take the idea to a vote.  Despite recent reports, we’ve confirmed through our own private sources, that the leasing figure is at least $200-million and possibly more.  In the past, we have talked about parking being the “magic bullet” in this deal, and $200 million of a $387 million stadium deal is exactly that.

The Here We Stay campaign is back and this time, they would like you to send an email or two to help this process along.  They have even been nice enough to provide you with both the email addresses you need and a form letter to send which can be found below.

Dear Council Member,

I am writing to express my optimism about a new entertainment and sports complex and my dissatisfaction with the fact that Sacramento is ranked as one of the five most miserable cities in the nation, according to Forbes.com.

We as citizens, and you as our representatives, have an opportunity to change that ranking and alter the future of our region forever. Creating jobs, economic growth, and building a cultural hub for generations to come is important to me and my family, and a new entertainment and sports complex would provide all of that.

No matter your current position on building a new complex in the downtown rail yards, I ask you to please keep an open mind and urge you to consider moving forward with the financing plan at the Dec. 13 council meeting.

We are at a fork in the road as a city, and if we choose to revitalize our downtown, we can build our way out of this recession and make Sacramento a destination.

Let’s make history together and show the rest of the country that we are one of the most exciting places to live.

Thank you for your time,

(Your Name Here)
Here We Stay

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To email the mayor, use this form.

If you are a Kings fan and want to continue to have your voice heard, this is a great way to do it.  I also recommend attending the December 13th City Council meeting to show your support of the effort to get a new entertainment and sports facility funded and built in the Sacramento Rail Yards.