Thursday, September 1, 2011

Sen. Alex Padilla takes lead on football stadium bill

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef01538fd98b0c970b-piState Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) said late Thursday that he will be the author of SB 292, the long-anticipated legislation that would restrict legal challenges to a football stadium project proposed in downtown Los Angeles.

The bill, which will be gutted of its current language on community colleges, is on the Assembly floor and ready for action, but Padilla promised it will go through public hearings.

“I fully expect it will have committee reviews,'' Padilla said, adding that he worked on the bill with Assembly Speaker John Pérez (D-Los Angeles).

    Other legislative officials said the measure will require any lawsuit challenging the stadium’s environmental review to go directly to the California Court of Appeal, bypassing the Superior Court, and a decision would have to be made by the court in 150 to 175 days.

    Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills), a negotiator on the bill, said the proposal is “much more balanced” in protecting the environment than what the Legislature approved two years ago for a competing stadium proposed in the City of Industry.

“There will be no exemption from our environmental laws,’’ Blumenfield said. “I would not support that.  Under expedited judicial review, we can bring jobs to this community while building a carbon-neutral stadium that will prioritize transit more than any other NFL stadium.”

Anschutz Entertainment Group is promising to adopt measures to make sure the stadium has a 10% better rate of public transit use than any other football stadium in the country.

Padilla and Pérez plan to outline more details of the legislation at a Capitol media briefing Friday morning.

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--Patrick McGreevy

Image: A rendering of the proposed stadium.  Credit: AEG Digital Group

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