Sacramento to Get Pitch on Stadium Fund

Unable to line up financing without a professional baseball or football team, Gregg Lukenbill will ask Sacramento residents in a televised appeal tonight to kick in up to $30 million to help build a stadium.

By paying a one-time fee ranging from $250 to $1,250 per seat, fans would reserve tickets if a professional baseball or football team moves to Sacramento.

The reservation fees, refunded only if the $120-million stadium isn’t completed, would be on top of ticket prices.

“We’re calling a spade a spade,” said Lukenbill, who makes his pitch in a 26-minute Sacramento Sports Assn. video scheduled for about 8:30 p.m. on a local television station after tonight’s San Francisco Giants game.

“If we get solid community support behind a stadium at the moment that major-league baseball and football are considering expanding, it will make a very material difference in our ability to attract either an expansion team or an existing team.

“If we don’t get that support, I think we’ll really be hurt. But you really need the stadium to be able to make a lightning strike deal if one comes along.”