Seal of Approval on the Arena

The City Council has made a right and rewarding decision by voting to tentatively approve financial and environmental agreements for the proposed $300-million sports arena complex in downtown Los Angeles. The project should revitalize a scruffy neighborhood and give the city a higher profile in a rising economy.

In a victory for smart politics and determination, the deal was put together in difficult negotiations. Credit for improving the outcome goes to Councilman Joel Wachs, whose campaign to tighten the contract clause by clause encouraged skeptics to come around. But Wachs’ campaign also raised the stakes. This was a deal that could have fallen apart under the pressure, and all the participants--developers and politicians--should think hard about the lessons learned.

The council vote was 13 to 1, with Nate Holden the sole naysayer. Rita Walters, an arena opponent whose district encompasses the Harbor Freeway site of the development, was on vacation and did not attend the session. A second vote will be required, but the outcome seems certain, as do the benefits. Tuesday’s vote removed any serious hurdles to the developers securing funding. The city’s portion is limited to $12 million from the Community Redevelopment Agency.

Construction is expected to start in January, with a target date of October 1999 to open the arena for Lakers basketball and Kings ice hockey games. Both teams have long desired a home newer and bigger than the Forum in Inglewood. The area around the Convention Center and north and south along Figueroa seems bound to benefit from the crowds; Los Angeles, and more broadly Southern California, is the winner of this game.