Council Motions Back Stadium Proposal

As the NFL announced creation of a group to explore football in Los Angeles, several City Council members introduced motions Tuesday to allow the use of public money to help build a stadium as long as the city is repaid, to find potential stadium sites and to create a special committee to negotiate with the league.

The flurry of legislative activity comes as Los Angeles lawmakers increasingly are turning their attention to the quest for a football franchise--an idea that the city pursued vigorously several years ago, only to lose out to Houston in 1999. That disappointed supporters in Los Angeles and some National Football League officials, who have been working on and off to bring a team to the city ever since the Rams and later the Raiders left.

On Tuesday, both camps were moving ahead on their own fronts. In Houston, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue appointed a group of five owners to explore alternatives for returning pro football to Los Angeles. Tagliabue also hinted that expanding the league might be an option.

Meanwhile, Councilmen Nick Pacheco and Dennis Zine introduced a motion to allow the use of money generated by the City Center redevelopment project in downtown Los Angeles for construction of a football stadium--as long as that money is repaid to the city treasury.

The motion forbids any public subsidy that is not reimbursed but would also allow a developer to use the Community Redevelopment Agency’s power to assemble and acquire land and relocate residents and businesses for a stadium in the 879-acre redevelopment district.

“It’s common sense,” Pacheco said. “At the end of the day, I want to make sure we get our money back.”

The redevelopment plan--which lawmakers say was drafted without football in mind but which has clear opportunities to assist that effort--is expected to generate $2.4 billion in property taxes and other revenue over the next 30 to 45 years. That money is supposed to be funneled back into the district to create houses and jobs, lure commercial and industrial businesses, help the homeless and restore historic buildings.

The motion endorses the Staples Center as a model for financing a sports facility. It was primarily built with private funds but received a $12-million public subsidy through a previous downtown redevelopment plan.

The original draft of the motion released Monday said no city money could be used under any circumstances. Pacheco said the draft was released in error, and that no one lobbied him to change it.

Pacheco also said he talked to Tim Leiweke--part of a powerful coalition trying to build a state-of-the-art stadium in South Park--late Monday and was asked to serve on a team of officials working on bringing football back to the city.

Leiweke represents Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, the principal backer behind Staples Center. Attempts to reach officials from Anschutz’s company late Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas proposed making the redevelopment agency scour blighted areas that it is revitalizing for potential stadium sites. Council President Alex Padilla and members Eric Garcetti and Jan Perry also signed that motion, which might expand the city’s search for sites.

“It further advances the point that has been lost on some--that there are options from which to choose, and we will see which option finally presents itself as the most compelling or credible,” Ridley-Thomas said.

His motion also would form an ad hoc sports-franchise committee, as was created in Los Angeles’ last bid for a team, “as a vehicle for City representatives to work with the National Football League,” the motion says.

Ridley-Thomas, who headed the previous committee, said the creation of another panel will help clarify the situation and give the public greater insight into the negotiations over a stadium and team.

“It will cause it to be dealt with in the light of day, rather than behind the scenes, particularly if public dollars are going to be involved in any way,” he said.

*

Times staff writer Patrick McGreevy contributed to this report.