Anaheim Mayor Calls Behring ‘Very Cordial’ in First Meeting

Anaheim city officials, hoping to have the Seattle Seahawks to anchor their proposed Sportstown complex, had their first meeting with team owner Ken Behring over the weekend.

Mayor Tom Daly and City Manager James D. Ruth met with Behring but would not reveal details of the meeting. Daly described it as a “get-acquainted chat.”

“He was very cordial,” Daly said. “Obviously, the first order of business for him is clearing up the situation in Seattle.”

Behring has made clear his intention to move his team to the greater Los Angeles area. He also hopes to set up administrative offices and a practice facility in Anaheim at the former Juliette Low Elementary School, which was used by the Rams for 15 years until they moved to St. Louis last year.

Some Seattle equipment is being stored at the facility, but the Magnolia Elementary School District, which owns the site, will not allow the team to move in until the Rams’ old lease is closed out. District officials said last week that the Rams have balked at paying more than $1 million in renovation costs that the district says the football team is obligated to pay to change Rams Park back into an elementary school.