SD goes on offensive; mayor talks today with Goodell for 45 minutes
PostPosted:9 years 2 days ago
While Fabiani was busy (not presenting to Carson) today, he also had no comment on this:
San Diego's mayor talked directly with Roger Goodell today and the city attorney will be
presenting to the NFL tomorrow (albeit to Ex-Goldman employee, now League VP
Eric Grubman). So looks like San Diego not taking this lying down --
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jun ... m-goodell/
Faulconer makes case to Goodell
Mayor has phone conversation with NFL chief on San Diego's stadium effort, public vote
By David Garrick
San Diego — Mayor Kevin Faulconer spoke with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Monday afternoon about San Diego’s efforts to build a new Chargers stadium, and the city’s chief stadium negotiator is scheduled to meet Tuesday with top league officials in New York City.
Those efforts come one week after the Chargers declared a proposed Dec. 15 stadium vote impossible because of environmental approval problems, a move that essentially halted negotiations.
City and county officials said last week their next move would be making the case to the NFL that a vote this winter is possible because the city has solved the environmental problems the Chargers cite.
“The mayor discussed the actions San Diego has and continues to take toward a new stadium, and expressed his commitment to moving forward with a fair plan that meets the needs of the community and the team,” said Faulconer spokesman Matt Awbrey, noting that the telephone conversation lasted about 45 minutes.
Awbrey also said the city’s top negotiator, Chris Melvin of New York’s Nixon-Peabody law firm, was scheduled Tuesday to explain to NFL officials the city’s position regarding environmental approvals and a public vote.
Melvin has helped negotiate several other NFL stadium deals, both on behalf of teams and on behalf of government agencies.
In addition, Awbrey said Faulconer and Goodell agreed that San Diego’s negotiating team and NFL officials will continue to communicate before the NFL owners meeting on Aug. 11.
That meeting is slated to focus partly on competing stadiums proposed in the Los Angeles suburbs of Carson and Inglewood.
Councilman Scott Sherman said last week that help from the NFL appeared to be San Diego’s best hope, expressing hope that league officials could persuade the Chargers to resume negotiating.
The city press release didn’t say whether Faulconer and Goodell discussed the possibility of the NFL delaying its decisions on teams moving to Los Angeles from the current schedule of January 2016.
A delay to 2017 would allow San Diego more time to negotiate a financing deal with the Chargers and would expand the city’s options for environmental approvals. It might also allow revival of a possible downtown stadium instead of Mission Valley.
Eric Grubman, the NFL executive overseeing possible franchise relocations in Los Angeles, confirmed Monday’s phone call and Tuesday’s meeting, saying it would involve “several of us here” at the league office.
“We agreed to the meeting at the Mayor’s request made to me last week,” Grubman said.
Grubman made no further comment
Mark Fabiani, the Chargers special counsel, declined comment.
City officials have expressed frustration that the Chargers declined to pursue any of the environmental approval options the city has proposed, especially a plan to complete a full environmental impact report by Oct. 15 and delay the public vote on a stadium to Jan. 12.
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said last week that a full environmental impact report, the most rigorous of all possible approaches under the California Environmental Quality Act, should alleviate any of the team’s concerns.
Fabiani has said it’s impossible to complete such environmental work in four months, contending it should take about a year. He said the city’s other environmental proposals are legally dubious and would lead to delays related to litigation.
San Diego's mayor talked directly with Roger Goodell today and the city attorney will be
presenting to the NFL tomorrow (albeit to Ex-Goldman employee, now League VP
Eric Grubman). So looks like San Diego not taking this lying down --
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jun ... m-goodell/
Faulconer makes case to Goodell
Mayor has phone conversation with NFL chief on San Diego's stadium effort, public vote
By David Garrick
San Diego — Mayor Kevin Faulconer spoke with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Monday afternoon about San Diego’s efforts to build a new Chargers stadium, and the city’s chief stadium negotiator is scheduled to meet Tuesday with top league officials in New York City.
Those efforts come one week after the Chargers declared a proposed Dec. 15 stadium vote impossible because of environmental approval problems, a move that essentially halted negotiations.
City and county officials said last week their next move would be making the case to the NFL that a vote this winter is possible because the city has solved the environmental problems the Chargers cite.
“The mayor discussed the actions San Diego has and continues to take toward a new stadium, and expressed his commitment to moving forward with a fair plan that meets the needs of the community and the team,” said Faulconer spokesman Matt Awbrey, noting that the telephone conversation lasted about 45 minutes.
Awbrey also said the city’s top negotiator, Chris Melvin of New York’s Nixon-Peabody law firm, was scheduled Tuesday to explain to NFL officials the city’s position regarding environmental approvals and a public vote.
Melvin has helped negotiate several other NFL stadium deals, both on behalf of teams and on behalf of government agencies.
In addition, Awbrey said Faulconer and Goodell agreed that San Diego’s negotiating team and NFL officials will continue to communicate before the NFL owners meeting on Aug. 11.
That meeting is slated to focus partly on competing stadiums proposed in the Los Angeles suburbs of Carson and Inglewood.
Councilman Scott Sherman said last week that help from the NFL appeared to be San Diego’s best hope, expressing hope that league officials could persuade the Chargers to resume negotiating.
The city press release didn’t say whether Faulconer and Goodell discussed the possibility of the NFL delaying its decisions on teams moving to Los Angeles from the current schedule of January 2016.
A delay to 2017 would allow San Diego more time to negotiate a financing deal with the Chargers and would expand the city’s options for environmental approvals. It might also allow revival of a possible downtown stadium instead of Mission Valley.
Eric Grubman, the NFL executive overseeing possible franchise relocations in Los Angeles, confirmed Monday’s phone call and Tuesday’s meeting, saying it would involve “several of us here” at the league office.
“We agreed to the meeting at the Mayor’s request made to me last week,” Grubman said.
Grubman made no further comment
Mark Fabiani, the Chargers special counsel, declined comment.
City officials have expressed frustration that the Chargers declined to pursue any of the environmental approval options the city has proposed, especially a plan to complete a full environmental impact report by Oct. 15 and delay the public vote on a stadium to Jan. 12.
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said last week that a full environmental impact report, the most rigorous of all possible approaches under the California Environmental Quality Act, should alleviate any of the team’s concerns.
Fabiani has said it’s impossible to complete such environmental work in four months, contending it should take about a year. He said the city’s other environmental proposals are legally dubious and would lead to delays related to litigation.