COUNCIL AXES POLL ON ARENA : WACHS SEES ACTION AS DISDAINFUL OF PUBLIC.Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff WriterThe Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. on Tuesday killed an effort to survey
public opinion on a downtown sports-entertainment complex, with
opponents saying it was an effort to push through the proposal without
considering voter sentiment.
``The fact is, the council really doesn't want to know how the public feels,'' said 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 . ``This is part of the public-be-damned attitude that has resulted in term limits, in tax limits and will result in charter reform.'' Wachs and Councilman Nate Holden Nathaniel "Nate" R. Holden (1929-) served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1987 to 2002. He previously served a term on the California State Senate and was Assistant Chief Deputy to then Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn. had requested the council spend $30,000 for a public opinion survey on the proposal from Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). owners Ed Roski Jr. 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. to build a $240 million, 20,000-seat arena at the site of the Convention Center's North Hall. Council President John Ferraro John Ferraro (May 14 1924—April 17 2001) served as a Los Angeles City Councilman from 1966 until his death. Early life Ferraro was born in the working class suburb of Cudahy, California, just south of Los Angeles. effectively was able to kill the proposal when it failed to get the 10 votes needed to be considered. That action sends it to a council committee, where it is expected to languish. ``It would have taken us two months to get requests and a contract signed and we don't have that amount of time,'' Ferraro said afterward. ``Besides, I don't think the council should set a precedent of getting a public opinion survey every time we have to make a decision. That's why the public elects us.'' But while the council's plan for a poll stalled, backers of the arena released a survey they conducted last week showing 64 percent of 900 people polled supported the concept of the city making a commitment to have the Lakers and Kings playing in a new downtown arena The Downtown Arena is a proposed Arena in downtown El Paso, Texas. If constructed it is expected to have a capacity of more than 17,000. Making it the biggest arena in West Texas, Ciudad Juarez and Southern New Mexico, and making it the biggest arena in El Paso above the Don Haskins . Thirty-six percent opposed it. But another poll, done by Loyola Marymount University's Center for the Study of Los Angeles, found that opponents outnumbered supporters of constructing the new arena next to the Convention Center 55 percent to 32 percent. Richard Maullin, who oversaw the survey for the arena, said his results were different than that of Loyola Marymount because the arena-backed poll included a wider sample of potential voters. |
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