Roski Pushes to Bypass CEQA in Industry Stadium

Just days before this year's legislative session comes to a close, billionaire developer Ed Roski is lobbying the state's legislature to bypass key environmental and planning requirements for the proposed 75,000 seat football stadium. In a meeting with the state Senate Leader and Assembly speaker last week, Roski argued that the plan would provide "thousands of high-wage jobs" in an area with disparagingly high unemployment. Roski's proposal would also block litigation against the controversial project, including the pending suit filed by neighboring Walnut.

'Not so fast,' say Los Angeles County supervisors. Supervisor Gloria Molina argues that she supports the idea of a new football stadium in LA County, but that it can't justify a waiver of the strict California Environmental Quality Act regulations. "Hospitals, police stations, freeways and all sorts of valuable projects manage to be built without the necessity of CEQA exemptions," she says, and urges her companions to take the same stance. Highest among County's concerns are complications stemming from increased traffic to the area - a concern they say, that isn't felt at the state level.

But legislators in Sacramento have remained receptive to Roski's plea. Unfortunately, this is just the sort of misalignment between state and local viewpoints that has polarized all parties in talks over whether - and how - to sell the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for desperately needed cash. Of course many initial supporters of the NFL's return to LA liked the idea of a professional team playing in the historic Coliseum. But Roski's Majestic Realty Co. is probably correct in assuming that a shiny new stadium with sufficient parking and new traffic lights will make a bid to the NFL much more attractive. Legislators are due for a decision tomorrow, Friday, September 11.

NFL is Back! But Not Where You Think

The Los Angeles Times reported today that the construction of a privately funded $800 million stadium to host an NFL team was approved by the city council. The City of Industry council, that is. The council voted 5-0 to approve the EIR for the project, which would inhabit 600 acres of industrial wasteland about 25 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The site in question is a wide railroad right-of-way near the interchange of California routes 57 and 60, and close to a Metrolink train station.

Neighboring cities Walnut and Diamond Bar have voiced concerns over increased traffic and decreased quality of life, and they have 30 days to file suit against the project, if they so please. Those two suburban towns are relatively affluent, and it is almost a jurisdictional glitch that they border the City of Industry, a town that is zoned almost completely for industry, has no business tax, and has a meager population density of 63/sq. mile. The story isn't new - Industry was incorporated in the 1950s as a dumping grounds for development that no one else wanted.

The project will be developed by Majestic Realty Co., which is headed by local real estate billionaire Ed Roski. Roski, who built the Staples Center and has stakes in the LA Lakers and LA Kings, will most likely purchase a majority stake in the chosen NFL team in order to facilitate a smooth move to the new stadium. While locals favor a return of former LA teams Raiders and Rams, the moving team is yet to be determined. Prior to the selection of the Industry site, officials were considering moving the team into either the LA Coliseum or the Rose Bowl as a no-build alternative. But the 1932 Coliseum was deemed helplessly out-of-date and the Rose Bowl option was vehemently opposed by Pasadenans. The City of Los Angeles on the other hand had been desperately lobbying to host the team, but in the end, the new construction on cheap land proved more attractive. However, some (notably, the FBI) have implicated Roski in a slew of shady dealings with the City of Industry - snubbing out competing developers and securing the land at a below-market rate. The FBI are not to be taken lightly...but neither are the millions of football-hungry southern Californians!