Via Businessweek, the most concrete news so far that AEG is pushing for a football stadium in downtown. The piece says that AEG has angered environmental groups including the Planning and Conservation League, Sierra Club California and Natural Resources Defense Council, over news that it wants an exemption to do an environmental report for its downtown stadium. You'll recall that Majestic also got an exemption for a review. This fight is on, people! "Tina Andolina, a Planning and Conservation League director, said legislative staffers have told her of Assembly members being approached by an AEG lobbyist about exempting a stadium from the California Environmental Quality Act.
She said the lobbyist was said to be citing as a precedent last year's vote allowing work to begin on a separate stadium project about 15 miles to the east, in the city of Industry, despite a lawsuit over its environmental review.
"If this continues on this course, we will have dirtier air, we will have unhappier local communities," Andolina said. "The worst is we will have land-use decisions made by bureaucrats in Sacramento, not at the local community level."
Lobbyist Marc Aprea, who is listed in state records as representing AEG, referred questions to company spokesman Michael Roth. Roth said he could not comment on any specific actions the company was taking to advance a stadium plan." UPDATE: The LA Times broke the news first. Good for them.
· Enviro groups urge scrutiny of downtown LA stadium [Businessweek]
Loading comments...