CITY COUNCILMAN SEEKS RELEASE OF ARENA PAPERS.Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. City Councilman Joel Wachs Joel Wachs served for several terms as Los Angeles City Councilman for the 2nd district. He was first elected by defeating incumbent James B. Potter. While in office, Wachs chaired the Public Works Committee and vice-chair of the Environmental Quality & Waste Management said Thursday he will push for the release of confidential documents that detail a commitment by the Lakers See Lake poets and Kings to play in a proposed downtown sports arena for 25 years. Wachs said the details have been made available only to officials who sign a confidentiality agreement and review the documents in the offices of the developers' attorneys. Wachs, one of the leading critics of the proposed $240 million arena, said he will present a motion at Tuesday's council meeting asking that the documents be made public so the language of the commitment can be scrutinized. Developers Edward Roski and Philip Anschutz Philip Frederick Anschutz (born 28 December 1939 in Russell, Kansas) is an American businessman and supporter of Christian causes. With an estimated current net worth of around $7.8 billion, he is ranked by Forbes as the 31st richest person in the USA. , co-owners of the Kings hockey team, have proposed building a 20,000-seat facility on land where the North Hall of the Convention Center now sits. The proposal calls for the city to provide $70 million for the project to turn over the land and acquire other property for the developers. Roski and Anschutz would pay the $240 million cost to build the arena and related facilities. Representatives of the developers said that because the agreements are between the developers and the teams, the city is not entitled to make the documents public. They have said the documents contain confidential information Noun 1. confidential information - an indication of potential opportunity; "he got a tip on the stock market"; "a good lead for a job" steer, tip, wind, hint, lead that they would not want rival franchises to review. The City Council is scheduled to consider a memorandum of understanding A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a legal document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action and may not imply a legal commitment. sometime within the next month that would allow construction to begin. Wachs said the commitment from the Lakers and Kings is crucial to ensure the success of the arena. ``Professional sports The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. teams change cities more often than some people change underwear,'' Wachs said. ``The pattern is clear. Teams come and go depending upon the economics of the movement and cities win or lose accordingly.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Joel Wachs Wants deal details |
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