Make Arena Details Public

The $240-million sports arena planned as the new home for the Lakers and the Kings should be a major asset to Los Angeles, especially to downtown’s timeworn south end. But as with any project, there are no guarantees. There are risks for both the city and the developers, yet there is enormous promise as well. The city will get a new sports and entertainment complex in an area all but devoid of major development, along with new tax revenue from property improvements and ticket sales.

Those are just some of the reasons why the city entered into a deal to bring a new arena to Los Angeles. It’s definitely worth supporting. But that support should not be undermined by any appearance that the city or the developers are trying to hide information about what the deal will cost the taxpayers.

The Los Angeles City Council finally recognized this Tuesday when it voted to disclose portions of the city’s agreement with the Lakers. That the council was shamed into this vote after Times columnist Bill Boyarsky wrote several articles questioning the secrecy surrounding the deal has cast suspicion on a project that ought to be a boon to the city.

Now the council should make its vote mean something. Some members think that summaries of the document will do. We think the full agreement, as well as other documents, should be made public, deleting only information that would reveal “trade secrets” such as certain design details.

Disclosure is not trivial. Other cities have learned the hard way that the fine print can mean the difference between a public boon and an endless public subsidy. Renovation of the Oakland Coliseum to accommodate the Raiders has already cost the city and county $15 million in unanticipated expenses and is likely to cost $8 million more annually well into the future.

Los Angeles can’t afford these sorts of surprises. There is a legitimate need to know the details of the arena deal. Hiding information is never a way to engender support for a worthwhile project, which the proposed arena promises to be.

Let the facts make the case.