RESIDENTS SEEK PUBLIC VOTE ON SPORTS CENTER PLAN.Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer Throwing a new complexity into efforts to build a downtown sports arena, a group of residents took the first step Thursday for an initiative that would require a public vote before any taxpayer dollars are spent. A group calling itself the Consumer Coalition of California filed papers with the City Clerk's Office to get permission to circulate the initiative for placement on the June 1997 ballot. Officials said it would need some 170,000 signatures of registered voters to qualify. But city officials involved in the negotiations questioned whether Inglewood interests were behind the effort to try to block 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. from cutting a deal to build the 20,000-seat facility on the site of the Los Angeles Convention Center The Los Angeles Convention Center (abbreviated LACC) is a convention center in downtown Los Angeles. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, and was best known to video games fans as host to E3 until its cessation in 2006. . ``You mean the Consumer Coalition for Inglewood?'' said Steve Soboroff, special adviser to Mayor Richard Riordan. ``We've been hearing that something might be in the works to stop this. This is so strongly worded that you think professional interests are behind it.'' Inglewood officials did not return telephone calls late Thursday nor did San Francisco attorney Barry Fadem, who is in charge of the effort. The measure creates what it calls the City of Los Angeles
It comes as negotiators expect to wrap up within the next 10 days 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. to build a 20,000-seat sports entertainment facility on a portion of the Los Angeles Convention Center site. The arena proposal comes 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). owner Edward J. Roski Jr., and developer Philip Anschutz to serve as a home for the Kings and Los Angeles Lakers as well as a site for concerts and other events. The city would turn over the land where the North Hall now sits and raze raze also rase tr.v. razed also rased, raz·ing also ras·ing, raz·es also ras·es 1. To level to the ground; demolish. See Synonyms at ruin. 2. To scrape or shave off. 3. that building. Also, the city would acquire land across the street for parking and, in the future, a hotel and commercial development. One homeowner mentioned on the petition, Gordon Murley of the Federation of Hillside and Canyon Associations, said he had been approached to become involved and it coincided with his thinking on the use of public money for the facility. ``I got a call and (was) asked if I would be interested in signing on with this,'' Murley said. ``I had been talking with some people about doing this, but no one had put anything together. I do think there should be a public vote on this.'' Murley said he had been contacted by Lisa Merchant of Hermosa Beach. Merchant referred all calls to Fadem and would not comment on whether Inglewood interests were involved. Another person listed on the petition, Kellie McAferty of Playa playa or pan or flat or dry lake Flat-bottomed depression that is periodically covered by water. Playas occur in interior desert basins and adjacent to coasts in arid and semiarid regions. Del Rey, said she supported the idea of a new sports facility, but that taxpayer dollars should not be involved. ``I love professional sports and I love the idea of a new arena, but I don't think tax dollars should be used for it,'' McAferty said. ``If it was for USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. or UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , that would be something else, but not a professional team.'' |
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