City Council Votes To Move Forward On Downtown Arena
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - The Maloof brothers spent Tuesday night together at Power Balance Pavilion, avoiding cameras and declining reporter requests for interviews as Sacramneto City Council members openly question their willingness to act as arena partners.
"If our partners are not with us, you need to let us know right now because I don't want to drag my community through this," said Councilmember Angelique Ashby.
Mayor Kevin Johnson kept his comments controlled in the chambers, compared to earlier statements during interviews.
"On February 27, in Orlando, the Maloof family made a commitment to Sacramento, and we expect them to honor their commitment," said Johnson.
After first publicly celebrating an arena term sheet agreement, the Maloofs now say they never agreed to make a $3 million predevelopment payment for a proposed building they won't own.
However, city negotiators dispute that claim. Assistant City Manager John Dangberg shed new light on the context of the deal by disclosing that the $3 million dollar agreement was reached before the final round of negotiations on All-Star weekend in Orlando.
The city council voted 7-2, in favor of moving forward on the downtown arena.
