note: this "Open Letter" may be reprinted without further permission, if it is printed in its entirety and CEAV is notified by email of where the text is to be printed (email ceav-at-ceav-dot-us). CEAV reserves all other rights. To reprint, distribute partial or edited copies please send copy and particulars to ceav-at-ceav-dot-us]
The behavior of the City Council over the past several months,
regarding the selection of a design and site for a sports-arena
and entertainment center for Sacramento is disturbing. An orderly,
fair and open process was established by our Mayor to consider
such designs and to select the best of them to present to City
Council for their consideration. While the Council may have taken
no official action to authorize the establishment of 'Sacramento
First' and its processes, it offered no objection when the matter
was first brought to Council's attention and certainly indicated no
displeasure over the past several months as the process moved forward.
For the citizens of this community, we were able to watch the progress
of 'Sacramento First', to comment and review its undertaking, make public
comment and otherwise engage the process. For the first time in many decades,
the residents of this city enjoyed the possibility that they would be included
and have influence on decisions that would change the shape of their communities
and their lives in the future. It was just a 'possibility', a faint promise that,
in this single important instance, Sacramento was to forego its usual mode of back
room politics and special interest deals with the developers and moneyed interests
of the community, and truly consult and respect the wishes of all of its citizens.
Before we present the particulars, CEAV wishes to make one thing clear. We believe
Mayor Johnson did his best to try to keep the process fair, open and impartial.
Just inventing a way to examine the maze competing interests on a large-scale project
like this took some foresight and a little guts as well. We don't necessarily agree
with everything that went into the marching orders for 'Sacramento First'. And, we
believe there are points at which our Mayor might have been firmer and less
tolerant of attempts to compromise that process. But on the whole, it is to his
credit, whether by design or inexperience that he tried to create a process which
uncommonly included the public and began with the rather novel mission of asking,
"What is really in the interests of Sacramento and all of its citizens?"
not just a few. In the past, Others far more politically experienced and saavy
than our Mayor have tried to do just, and failed.
That said, it remains that we, the people of Sacramento, were foolish to have
hoped for a more honest and open relationship between ourselves and our
city government, even in this one instance; or, to place our trust in the Mayor's
effort (sincere as it may have been) to provide us with a mechanism that might
have done just that. On Tuesday, February 12th, at its regular meeting, the
City Council made it very clear that they not only will persist in the traditions
of the secret dealings and back room politics they have long practiced, but that
they do not even know how to do otherwise. They haven't a clue as to how to
proceed with a the governance of our city that is truly impartial and open and fair.
In particular, elected members of the City Council of Sacramento:
- have engaged in a secret relationship with the NBA for at least the past
several months in anticipation of its involvement in the arena proposal process
and the promotion of a single candidate, long before any proposals had even
been heard or considered;
- Made no disclosure of the fact that they had an ongoing relationship
with the NBA and its promotions at least several months before any other
proposals were offered for review; and, to date, have given no details
on that prior (continuing?) relationship other than it was under the cover
of a "non-disclosure agreement" with the NBA and/or the Kamilos/Cal Expo group;
- Heard, in open meeting, the Mayor's description of the 'Sacramento First'
process he wished to put in motion without substantive objection and giving
the appearance of assent to allow that process go forward and receive its
recommendations in a fair and impartial manner; yet,
- Remained silent when the NBA and the Kamilos group upstaged the
'Sacramento First' open announcement at City Hall upon receiving the
seven candidate proposals and beginning the work to review and select from
among them;
- Facilitated and included on their agenda a lengthy presentation by city
staff and the Kamilos/NBA/(Cal Expo) group; promoting and favoring that
single proposal before and aside any of the other six concepts that were
submitted and which have yet to receive critical review;
- Have never publicly questioned or engaged public comment on the
NBA/Cal Expo plans (including the current Kamilos concept) that would
remove state-owned/public commons belonging to the people of California
and turn it over to private developers;
- Have permitted secret processes conducted by the NBA and Cal Expo,
that bar open public discussion and other elements of transparent review,
to go unchallenged and persist for many years;
- Have chosen to ignore and suppress any other alternatives or objections
to preferred choices which Council has made outside of the public view,
in collusion with private interests and which Council unfairly favors and
promotes;
- have joined Cal Expo, the NBA and the Kamilos Company in promoting the
idea that considerations of projects which would turn over state land to
private interests are purely a matter of local concern, for local benefit
and that the interests of the people of the State of California have no
standing in the matter.
For more than a year, the City Council has been informed and aware that there are
alternative ideas in the community suggesting the land now occupied by Cal Expo
may have significant public value, for Sacramento as well as California,
as public land; value that may well dwarf any value it might have as a venue
for private development. At least one formal proposal has been made to Cal Expo
suggesting exactly that. Whether The CEAV Project or other concepts are practical
or even desirable is beside the point. The fact that they have been presented
and are there to be examined is sufficient. Cal Expo, the NBA and your Council
have completely ignored and/or hidden them. Indeed, CEAV has been informed that
there are other proposals which have been submitted to Cal Expo over the years,
which have been similarly ignored. Yet, neither Council, nor Cal Expo has called or
engaged in any public discussion as to whether private development of the land is
even the best option for Sacramento's future.
Unless, and until, such discussion takes place, any plans that would entertain
delivering Cal Expo land to the hands of private developers should have been
treated as premature and academic. Yet considerable money, time and effort has
already been spent by Cal Expo, the City and others on just such consideration.
Many of us in Sacramento are fully aware that the 'arena issue' is not just about
the arena. It is not even simply about the economy of our city or jobs or the Kings.
It is about the way our elected representatives conduct themselves and how
decisions on our behalf are made. For many decades, perhaps from its beginnings,
Sacramento has suffered political intrigue and manipulation that has shown
outright contempt for the people it was intended to serve.
Sacramento takes no back seat to Chicago when it comes to cities with a history
of machine politics. It is clear that the City Council is incapable of engaging
in professional and ethical conduct on behalf of the residents of this community
that even resembles open, fair and transparent governance in the public interest.
You, the members of the Council have, once again, broken the public trust in
your machinations over the matter of building a sports-arena. You have
participated in undermining the single process that had promised to conduct
its business as a public-public partnership; a relationship between the people
and their government that we, the people of Sacramento, might rely upon to hold
our interests above all other concerns. 'Sacramento First' was to be the herald,
in name and deed, of that determination. Yet, far more damaging than your
complicity in undermining this one honest attempt to impartially select
the best plan for a Sacramento arena, you have undermined the already
fragile trust between the people and their government. There is no excuse for that,
no rationale that will make that right with the people.
Sweeping away the need for city staff to mask its own culpability,
Council member Sheedy said at that same Council meeting,
"It's not necessary to make long disclaimers, John [Dangberg],.
We've seen this before. We know what the take is." And so do we,
Councilwoman Sheedy, and so do we.
Red Slider, steward
The CEAV Project
California Advocates for the 21st Century
www.ceav.us and www.stopcalexpo.org
www.stopcalexpo.wordpress.com
- Red Slider & www.ceav.us; 02/15/10: