Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee reports that Sacramento City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy, who opposes building a new entertainment and sports complex in downtown Sacramento, will ask the Council to put a measure on the June ballot asking for voter approval to use public parking assets to help provide capital for the facility. The push is clearly a device to either stall the arena decision to past the point of no return for the chance to keep the Sacramento Kings in town, or to crank up pressure on Mayor Kevin Johnson's campaign to win council approval for the leasing of downtown parking inventory to provide initial capital for the construction.
The council is expected to vote on a parking lease proposal in February. Sheedy has been beating the popular vote drum since it became apparent she was in a clear minority on the council in opposition of the arena. She will almost assuredly demonize as undemocratic any councilmembers who do not vote with her in this naked ploy to politicize the ESC push. Sheedy has a well-documented feud with Johnson over endorsements in council races, and is using the arena push as a political prop.
As Lillis notes, it is highly unlikely that Sheedy's trickery will be eaten up by the council; Darrell Fong, a swaying palm, may vote with her, but it's difficult to see anyone else on the concil voting to castrate itself ahead of a big decision next month.
Nonetheless, supporters of the ESC project cannot cede an inch to Sheedy's ham-handed politics. If you can make the Tuesday meeting, please do so and remind the council why a new entertainment and sports complex in downtown Sacramento is so vital to our communities and region.
1 recs | 64 comments
It's the game of politics
and Sheedy can’t win this one. There is no support for a public vote in the council and most understand this will be a decision they’ll have to make.
Sheedy and Darrell Fong are ‘no’ votes, we already know this. We just need 5 ‘yes’ out of the other 7 and we are game. Keep attending city council meetings if you can, keep puting pressure on these other council members.
Might be time to do something big again… stay tuned.
edm7 - January 19, 2012
I think we just need to remind them and put on the record
of the projects that did not have to go to public vote (such as the community center) that were successful and ended up being a boon to the city both in revenue and in increased tourism.
I would rather they have the balls to vote no on the arena than to take the cowards way out that Sheedy is suggesting.
Just asking, since she will not get the votes, and will have to go the petition route if the city has such a procedure, are there legal ways , such as used in OC to thwart its success?
ElRonToro - January 19, 2012
It is the no vote.
wallywagon11 - January 19, 2012
I think one problem is people remember things like the Sheraton hotel.
wallywagon11 - January 19, 2012
There was a Sheraton hotel?
ElRonToro - January 19, 2012
Didnt the sale of the Sheraton net city big profit?
And bring us arguably one of our two nicest hotels? What’s the issue there?
KingsFanInPortland - January 19, 2012 via mobile
Although the sale of the Sheraton itself is a tad bit controversial, I honestly wasn't referring to that
I was referring to the tax-exempt revenue bond financing of the Sheraton which was tied to the Convention Center. I was alluding to the fact that there were projections with the project that were very much incorrect and people remember those things.
wallywagon11 - January 19, 2012
Projections for hotel were off at first, but ended up making big profit right?
Or are you referring to convention center projections being off?
KingsFanInPortland - January 19, 2012 via mobile
I don't want to get too bogged down into the sale of the Sheraton which is where the city saw it's "big profit."
but the city was having a very difficult time paying the bond debt on the project, it did not increase convention use nearly much as stated which was half the reason the public paid for it, and the other big reason for public spending on it was it would increase occupancy at the other downtown hotels which it actually decreased along with decreasing the prices. The city almost stopped making payments on the hotel before selling it which would have been a significant downgrade on the city’s credit.
wallywagon11 - January 19, 2012
Ah
Yea I remembered the Convention Center didn’t do the projected business, just didn’t know how it was all tied together
KingsFanInPortland - January 19, 2012 via mobile
Yes BIG!!
Lets go time to THINK BIG right?
Lets rally at a game, get it coordinated properly. Show em we still want our Kings!!
Robby1987 - January 19, 2012
This is what KJ plans on doing to Sheedy...
kwlarson - January 19, 2012
This is what he will do to Fong
Finish the arena and your the Mayor of the century
SharkKings49 - January 19, 2012
I kind of want to move to her district just so I can vote against her in the next elections.
Aykis16 - January 19, 2012
Amen
Out of all the city council meetings I’ve seen, the most intelligent thing I’ve heard her discuss is her review on the new Smash Burger in her district.
HeuristicLineup - January 19, 2012
If anyone lives in District 2...
remember this come next City Council election. Here are the boundaries, http://www.cityofsacramento.org/gis/documents/Council_Dist2_A.pdf
kwlarson - January 19, 2012
Lol
I guess Ill be one of em voting against her.
Robby1987 - January 19, 2012
My parents own commercial property in that district
The mall excluded (maybe included?) it’s not a great part of town. I’d be surprised if she actually lived there.
misterbrister - January 20, 2012
You can still donate to her opponent's campaign.
jveezy - January 19, 2012
She’s also courting the “I hate the Maloofs, sports,
billionaires,millionaires,thousandaires, guys that own a lawnmower, broke sports team and absolutely nothing else” vote, which is sizable in Sacramento.Carl - January 19, 2012
So basically
she’s courting Occupiers.
Dub_TC - January 19, 2012
I don't want to get too political
But I think a lot of the complaints from the Occupiers have to do with the idea of subsidizing the rich and getting nothing out of it. If we subsidized the rich and got a lot of jobs out of it, then there wouldn’t be any complaints. Everyone would be happy.
If she is indeed courting the Occupiers, I don’t think it’s going to work because
a) They’re not just handing the Maloofs money. This is the city’s building that the city and region will benefit from.
b) This is going to create thousands of jobs directly which will indirectly create more.
c) This prevents the city from losing even more jobs.
She’s trying to label this as a handout to the rich that won’t have any return, and that’s just not true. I think it would be a good idea for Here We Stay to attack and debunk any attempts to align the Occupiers with Sheedy, because if anything, I think they stand to benefit more from being on our side.
jveezy - January 19, 2012
Agreed.
I agree with the Occupy movement and also understand that an ESC, if done right, would make Downtown Sac more fun, would create jobs and bring people (and their money) to the area, where everyone benefits.
Plus, the Maloofs are not rich.
Carl - January 19, 2012
Occupiers in Sacramento are mostly bums
Not “bums” as being lazy, but “bums” as literal homeless bums. I remember driving by when it started and I didn’t think it was like occupy NY, but rather bums trying sleep in the park, thus I don’t think they meet the requirements to vote.
SharkKings49 - January 19, 2012
Too bad we can't vote on our owners
Dude on the right looks qualified to run a team and even the president wanted to hold that man’s resume’.
SharkKings49 - January 19, 2012
"I will not stand for this once I am elected President of the United States of South Carolina"
section214 - January 19, 2012
Basketball aside (politics not)
Colbert has been awesome as of late making a mockery of our political system
yaboyrafa - January 19, 2012
Love him or hate him
Colbert is brilliant.
Skeptical Dawg - January 19, 2012
if i lived in south carolina
i would most definitely be voting for Herman Cain haha
yaboyrafa - January 19, 2012
Agreed
I grew up reading Art Buchwald, but he and Jon Stewart are taking political satire to an entirely new level.
section214 - January 19, 2012
thank god though
somebody (with money) needs to expose the huge flaws especially when it comes to campaigns and super pacs haha
yaboyrafa - January 19, 2012
I must have missed it
Did Colbert really call out Sheedy or was it a photoshop thats been circulated around enough to become a fact? Was he the only member of the national media to talk about the Kings/Sheedy poll?
SharkKings49 - January 19, 2012
lol
it was photoshopped
wallywagon11 - January 19, 2012
It was a kfipp special
I love that nutty bastard!
section214 - January 19, 2012
He's a jerk
kfipp - January 19, 2012
There is website that puts together the graphic with a script
Just google “Colbert On Notice”
bignerd - January 19, 2012
A buddy advised me of this site...
AFTER I went through the trouble of photoshopping this one.
kfipp - January 19, 2012
I knew that photoshop would come in handy some day!
kfipp - January 19, 2012
This however
Was not photoshopped
HeuristicLineup - January 19, 2012
Austin Powers and Kurt Douglas?
bignerd - January 19, 2012
Charmichael Dave has given her a number of opportunities to state her case
And she won’t even return a courtesy email or phone call to decline.
I know she would probably just say it would be pointless because most of the people listening are pro-arena, but if she truly had legitimate concerns about the welfare of the city you’d think she would accept the opportunity to state her case.
What bothers me the most is that she’s already demonstrated that she’s ignorant on certain aspects of the plan. The least we should ask from our elected officials is to understand the issues as thoroughly as they can, and to stand up for what they think is right.
Crocoduck - January 19, 2012 via mobile
She has nothing to gain from responding the C.D.
The people she would be defending her stance to, couldn’t care less by what she has to say. The people who care what she thinks, couldn’t careless what C.D. has to say.
HeuristicLineup - January 19, 2012
That's probably true
Maybe I’m alone on this, but if she has legitimate concerns about the financing and long term ramifications of the ESC I would love to know about it.
Crocoduck - January 20, 2012 via mobile
You might want to restructure that question if you ever see her
She doesn’t understand anything over 2 syllables.
HeuristicLineup - January 20, 2012
I always thought
You voted so the folks you voted for made decisions that were in the best interests of the community. If you don’t like the decisions being made you can always vote for someone else at the next election.
I don’t think she is ignorant she is playing to a position that she either agrees with her or worse will allow her to get reelected next time
I would suggest if she had a genuine concern she would go on the radio and have a grown up discussion stating whatever objections she would have for an arena project.
Murf - January 19, 2012
if she had a genuine concern she would go on the radio and have a grown up discussion stating whatever objections she would have for an arena project.
and present a plan to replace the loss of the kings and those kings created jobs to the local economy? A leader can’t just say no they gotta also say yes to something.
Skeptic con Urquell - January 19, 2012
I don't like our city council.
TrojanCBB - January 19, 2012
I do
currently the majority of them are on our side.
HeuristicLineup - January 19, 2012
don't know that at all
wallywagon11 - January 19, 2012
I'm referring to a more complete body of work than just the Arena.
TrojanCBB - January 19, 2012
I'm just kind of wondering
when was the last city council that had a 50% or more approval rating (not including first 6 months after election)?
We may be in an it is what it is situation.
ElRonToro - January 19, 2012
Sandy Sheedy said on December 13th, "We cannot afford to lose the arts."
According to the Sacramento Press:
http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/15863
Community Theater Renovation
by Michael Zwahlen, published on October 19, 2009 at 9:39 PM
I have not found any other articles to dispute that so if that is the case…
From the Sacramento Bee:
SACRAMENTO – Some on council urge regional arena funding – THEY WANT OTHER GOVERNMENTS TO HELP FINANCE DEAL
Sacramento Bee, The (CA) – Thursday, December 15, 2011
Author: Ryan Lillis ; rlillis@sacbee.com
I do not recall seeing anything about a public vote on either renovations. When you add up both renovations the total comes close to $100 million. So, where is the public vote on the arts?
If you want to go back even further…
CURTAIN RISING AGAIN AT MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM – MERCHANTS PIN HOPES FOR REVIVAL ON CITY LANDMARK
The Sacramento Bee – Sunday, November 3, 1996
Author: Emily Bazar Bee Staff Writer
SacTownMike - January 19, 2012
Pretty sure the Transient Occupancy Tax actually was voter approved.
Again, pretty sure the Transient Occupancy Tax actually was voter approved
Again, pretty sure the Transient Occupancy Tax actually was voter approved.
wallywagon11 - January 19, 2012
And her district, can't afford to have her for another term.
Scott Section 213 - January 19, 2012
wally...
I was only able to find that the council approved. I’ll have to research this some more. If you can find any information please post.
I don’t have a problem with supporting the arts. There should be something for everyone.
SacTownMike - January 19, 2012
It's The Arts
section214 - January 19, 2012
Sheedy looks much better here
Did she do her hair differently?
HeuristicLineup - January 20, 2012
You don't see it there because it's a county tax.
it’s usually on the ballots
wallywagon11 - January 19, 2012
crap that might not be 100% accurate
it’s all fuzzy just remember 2% of it was set to expire and it was on the most recent ballot and was approved for these particular projects
wallywagon11 - January 19, 2012
Can we get a recall movement in her district going now?
Scott Section 213 - January 19, 2012
Her email and office phone number.
If you don’t find what you’re looking for, or if you have any suggestions on how we can improve the page, just let me know by e-mail at ssheedy@cityofsacramento.org or by phone at 808-7002.
Scott Section 213 - January 19, 2012
I sent an email
And would encourage others to send her one as well
KingsFanInPortland - January 20, 2012 via mobile
(916) 808-7007
Mr. Darrell Fong’s office number…above, email below.
dfong@cityofsacramento.org
His email was buried on his page. But, I found it.
Scott Section 213 - January 19, 2012
Uncertain
Well all for the arena but it might just cost me my job or a salary of minimum wage so hopefully neither happens
City worker - January 23, 2012 via mobile
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