Long article in the L.A. Weekly this week on John Ek, a powerful Los Angeles lobbyist who’s been hired by Ed Roski’s Majestic Realty to lobby for his City of Industry stadium plan — and against AEG’s competing downtown proposal. In fact, the paper notes, Ek sent the L.A. city council a list of 44 questions to ask AEG during hearings, and chief AEG critic Bill Rosendahl ended up reading them nearly verbatim:
Majestic: “Will the stadium developer agree to never sell/refinance the project until the bonds are paid off?”
Rosendahl: “Will the developer agree to never sell/refinance the project until the bonds are paid off?”
Majestic: “The L.A. Auto Show controls the entire convention center nearly the whole month of November; will we have football or the L.A. Auto Show?”
Rosendahl: “The L.A. Auto Show occupies the entire Convention Center nearly the whole month of November, which is football season. How will the two coexist?”
Majestic: “Given the passing of Prop. 26, would a ‘ticket tax’ require voter approval?”
Rosendahl: “Does the new Proposition 26 require that the proposed ticket tax be approved by voters?”
As the Weekly concludes: “Those are fine questions, deserving of answers. But that was even finer lobbying.” And it’s an indication that the AEG plan could have a rougher road ahead than some might have anticipated — as we’ve seen before, it’s a lot easier to stop a stadium deal when there’s a major local corporation in your corner.
“it’s a lot easier to stop a stadium deal when there’s a major local corporation in your corner.”
Until the proponent of the stadium deal buys off or out the opponent of the stadium deal. What is the over/under on that happening here? Six months?