The Here We Stay campaign is encouraging those who want to build a new entertainment and sports complex at the Downtown Plaza site to copy and paste the below letter and email it to the Sacramento City Council. It also is encouraged that you show up to the City Council meeting tomorrow around 5 p.m. – the meeting begins at 6 p.m. Those who attend the council meeting may also use the following information if they wish to address the City Council directly.
While you may copy and paste the below letter, in no way does that mean you can't edit it to fit your own personal feelings.
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Dear Councilmember,
I am writing to share my support for building a new entertainment and sports complex at the Downtown Plaza site. This project has the opportunity to create huge economic returns, especially in the form of development that would be generated in the land surrounding the building and region-wide. Increasing employment numbers should be a priority for us and this project has the potential to create thousands of new jobs. The risk to the city's general fund has been greatly mitigated through the use of several backfill sources, one of which (profits from the entertainment and sports complex) can scale considerably higher than the $1 million minimum. In addition, the city is not responsible for cost overruns, pre-development costs or developing the arena. A new entertainment and sports complex will create a civic hub for our downtown and serve as a symbol of civic pride. Our only professional sports franchise is something we must cherish and keep for generations to come. By voting yes, you can help preserve our future as a city that covets professional entertainment and development opportunities, while also revitalizing our city's core.
For these reasons and many more, I encourage you to vote to approve the term sheet and solidify Sacramento as a destination city.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
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Here are the e-mail addresses and phone numbers of the councilmembers categorized by how they have voted in the past. Please be respectful in your communication.
Have been supportive in the past:
aashby@cityofsacramento.org (916-808-7001)
SCohn@cityofsacramento.org (916-808-7003)
jschenirer@cityofsacramento.org (916-808-7005)
Have voted no in the past:
bpannell@cityofsacramento.org (916-808-7008)
KMcCarty@cityofsacramento.org (916-808-7006)
dfong@cityofsacramento.org (916-808-7007)
New councilmembers who did not vote on last year's deal:
shansen@cityofsacramento.org ((916-808-7004)
warren@cityofsacramento.org (916-808-7002)

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In addition to the letter, here are some key benefits of the deal under the outlined term sheet.
* This arena plan features a smaller cash contribution from the city, with the additional land transfers allowing for the revitalization of the downtown plaza and Natomas. Currently, nothing is being done with that land, and there are no plans to develop that land. The private investors will have a big incentive to develop that land should a new arena be built and more and more visitors come downtown.
* The delay in providing the term sheet to the public was due diligence on the city's part in order to ensure that the general fund be protected.
* The arena would help save the 600-1,000 jobs the Kings currently employ and create thousands more in the region.
* The city retains the option to develop the railyards, which may be made easier with a revitalized and developed downtown.
* The private investors are putting in substantially more money than the Maloofs were willing to last year, plus it will help develop other parts of downtown, which in turn should spur more development. Ron Burkle has a good history of development, particularly in Pittsburgh with the Penguins.
* This is an investment in our city for the long term. Right now, we have nothing in the railyards, a blighted Downtown Plaza, and the possibility of nothing in Natomas if the Kings leave.
* A state-of-the-art facility will bring in other acts and performances that Sacramento was unable to get before. For example, the NCAA tournament would likely come back to Sacramento; Sacramento could partner up with South Lake Tahoe in a joint bid for the Winter Olympics. In Pittsburgh, Ron Burkle has the two biggest concert promoters/rivals in AEG and Live Nation working for him at the same time to bring in both of their top acts.