Mayor Johnson Speaks Out After Private Meeting With Maloofs
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- A day after shying away from CBS13 cameras, Mayor Kevin Johnson is finally sharing specifics about his private meeting with the Maloofs.
Quite clear about the questions that remained unanswered, Thursday Mayor Kevin Johnson held a press conference to finally say what he wouldn't Wednesday night.
The mayor shared details about his closed door meeting with the Maloof brothers, and about the prospects of them leaving town.
"When I say frank conversation, we were able to clear the air really quickly," said Johnson.
Now clear to Mayor Johnson, Anaheim is the Maloofs first choice. But, the Maloofs will not share their finances with Sacramento. And the mayor feels there is little he can do now.
"I don't think Sacramento can influence the outcome of their decision," Johnson said.
Mayor Johnson would not share whether he had details about he Maloofs offer in Anaheim, but said fundamentally, Sacramento is at a disadvantage.
"When you don't have the sponsorships; we don't have any Fortune 500 companies here in Sacramento, they have a different dynamic down there, they have Disneyland," explained Mayor Johnson.
Still Mayor Johnson is holding out hope that somehow the deal down south will collapse.
"Look, they didn't have to tell me 100 times that Anaheim is the place we probably want to be. But they were very certain to say that the deal is not done," he said.
