DEBATE CONTINUES ON ARENA; TALKS SET FOR TODAY.

Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer

As Los Angeles officials prepare to meet today to keep alive a proposed downtown sports-entertainment complex, two City Council members on Thursday argued whether the proposal would serve to revitalize the area or drain the city treasury.

Councilmen Mark Ridley-Thomas and Joel Wachs, in a debate moderated by radio talk show host Tom Leykis on KABC (790-AM), agreed only that neither would support a project that places the city at risk.

``No one wants to see the city ripped off,'' said Ridley-Thomas, who has supported the project by Los Angeles Kings owner Edward Roski and Denver investor Philip Anschutz on the site of the Convention Center. ``What we are doing is exercising the kind of leadership to move the city of Los Angeles into the 21st century, into a position of greatness that means we have to turn the lights on downtown.''

But Wachs said he would support such an effort only if it means no taxpayer dollars are lost.

``They want the city to put up a portion of the money and they would own the entire arena,'' Wachs said. ``Tax dollars should be for libraries and parks where kids can play and getting for police and firefighters. Let the owners pay for it themselves.''

City Council President John Ferraro is scheduled to meet with Roski today to try to clear up misunderstandings that resulted in the Kings owner indicating last weekend he wanted to call off negotiations with the city.

Ferraro said he hopes to convince Roski to return to the bargaining table and indicated he is looking at ways to get council approval while it is in recess beginning today and through Jan. 3.

``If we are able to close some kind of deal, we could call a special meeting of the council or work out some arrangement to call for public hearings as soon as possible to look at this,'' Ferraro said.

The debate between Wachs and Ridley-Thomas, however, showed that dissent continues over the project.

Under the plan, the city would put up a maximum of $70.5 million to tear down the North Hall of the Convention Center and acquire land across the street for parking.

Roski and Anschutz would be responsible for financing and building the $240 million, 20,000-seat arena and entertainment complex.

Ridley-Thomas said city negotiators have included in a draft proposal that the venture would provide enough money through existing parking and sales taxes along with a ticket surcharge or facility fee to cover all city costs.

But Wachs said he would not be satisfied unless the venture agrees, in writing, to make sure the city loses no money.

``Those are all projections,'' Wachs said. ``I want to see it in writing that the city will be made whole.''

Ridley-Thomas countered the City Council already has included that in its negotiating position with the venture.

``We are beyond that,'' Ridley-Thomas said. ``The question now is do we have the will to go ahead with this project.''

The two also debated how much benefit the project would bring to the downtown area.

``Let's face it, people will be coming down a half-hour before the game, going into the arena where they will eat and watch the game and then leave,'' Wachs said. ``There will be no other benefit to the area.''

Ridley-Thomas argued, however, the project was a first step to developing the entire area, from Dodger Stadium on the north to the Coliseum and Exposition Park on the south.

``When we talk about the arena, it is in the context of a sports and entertainment corridor,'' Ridley-Thomas said, citing work already under way on new museums in Exposition Park and efforts to get a National Football League franchise for a rebuilt Coliseum.