Council to Weigh Arena Deal

Still working on thorny sticking points in negotiations over building a taxpayer-subsidized professional sports arena at the Los Angeles Convention Center, city negotiators unexpectedly announced Tuesday that the deal will go to the full City Council next week.

The announcement, made in a joint statement by council President John Ferraro and Councilwoman Rita Walters, came immediately after their closed-door meeting with arena developers, Kings hockey team owners Edward P. Roski and Philip Anschutz.

It was the first public sign of movement on the deal in many weeks. The council approved the developers’ proposal in concept in September and instructed negotiators to work out the details for final approval by the mid-October deadline set by the developers.

The scope of next week’s meeting on the arena deal was not clear--except that it will be conducted behind closed doors. The Ferraro-Walters statement cited the need to brief the council and get some direction on how to resolve the remaining issues.

“Our city negotiators have advised us that while 95% of the issues have been resolved, a handful of deal points remain outstanding,” the statement said. “Time is of the essence if the project is to move forward in keeping with the anticipated schedule for beginning construction.”

But Councilman Joel Wachs, who has been pushing for a better deal for taxpayers and a more open process, said he would not be surprised if arena backers found a way to win final council approval without time for scrutiny and promised public hearings.

“This is the most secretive, flagrant violation of every good government law there is . . . the sleaziest,” Wachs said upon learning of next week’s session.

Officials had planned to bring the matter to the council Tuesday, when Wachs was scheduled to be out of town, but changed it to Wednesday after his protests.

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Other officials downplayed the chances of a quick deal-sealing vote next week.

Walters said she wants to be sure the final document is released publicly and that at least one public hearing is held, preferably in the ad hoc sports arena committee, which she chairs.

Roski and Anschutz declined to comment on the negotiations.

Sources close to the negotiations had said earlier that complicated tax issues, and a desire to find a way to cover city bond repayment costs from the arena, were slowing arrival at a final package.

Under the proposal that received tentative council approval, the city is to provide $60.5 million in bond proceeds to acquire and clear land for the arena, which will be home to the Kings and the NBA Lakers for at least 25 years. The developers are to build and operate the arena and keep all the profits.

Inglewood has been courting arena developers to build in their city, where both teams now play.

Inglewood City Manager Paul Eckles said Tuesday that his city submitted a new proposal to the negotiators last week. “There is no question, if you gauge by the amount of effort they are putting into the negotiations, that they prefer downtown,” Eckles said.

Times correspondent Deborah Belgum contributed to this story.