Protesting a Referendum on Public Funds for a Sacramento Arena

Last night I participated in a good sized rally outside the City Council meeting to protest Mayor Heather Fargo’s concerted effort to use hundreds of millions of dollars worth of public funds to subsidize building a new sports arena for the Sacramento Kings–thwarted by her council representing its constituents well, she is now trying to get

City Councilmember, soon to be Assemblymember, Dave Jones led the troops as we packed the hearing room, standing room only, with a crowd outside pushing to get in. After 3 hours of pro stadium drek, culminating in a stupid LA-like statement by some (Sacramento King-owning) Maloof or another, flanked by the usual bimbos and bodyguards, Mayor Fargo let the public speak. You can read about it in today’s Sacramento Bee article, in which I, or someone remarkably similar to me named “Sara Nicohols”, am/is quoted.

What I said when I testified in the hearing was different from what is quoted. I said that although the residents of Southside Park would love to have a new sports and entertainment complex walking distance downtown, we are currently trying hard to get the city to build us a new playground, put more lights in the park, dredge the polluted lake and keep our youth club fully funded. We, like virtually every citizen of Sacramento, are vehemently opposed to public funding of a sports arena.

We find it impossible to believe that the Mayor and the Council aren’t well aware of the public’s strong opposition to public financing. And the revelation of some tortured polling can lead us only to believe that it will be used (like most polling) to sell the public something we don’t want or need.

I didn’t say this, but I, for one, will really resent having to fight this referendum on the November ballot. Doesn’t the predominantly Democratic City Council understand that we’ve got a U.S. Senator to re-elect and a President to defeat?