Attempt to waive rules for NFL stadium project may be slowed
With a week left in the legislative session, proponents of a professional football stadium in the Los Angeles area pushing for a relaxing of environmental laws may face steep opposition from Democratic legislators and run out of time, a state senator said Friday.
State Sen. George Runner (R-Lancaster) said Friday that he is open to expediting the environmental approval process for projects but an exemption from environmental law may be difficult with only days left in the legislative session.
"This is a difficult time to move that bill that quickly," said Runner, the vice-chair of the Environmental Quality Committee that oversees the California Environmental Quality Act, the environmental law that governs new development.
The proposed exemption's bill language appears not to be finalized and doesn't have an author, officials said Friday.
Billionare developer Ed Roski Jr. and his representatives from his company, Majestic Realty Co., met with two legislative leaders Thursday in Sacramento to pitch the 75-000-seat stadium in Industry as a job-generating project.
But it turns out Majestic and its lobbyists have been seeking an exemption from environmental rules holding up the proposed football stadium near the 57/60 freeway interchange, according to local officials. A neighboring city, Walnut, filled a lawsuit against the project in March, objecting to its environmental impact study.
Roski met Thursday with Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), which also included Maria Elena Durazo, head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, legislative officials said.
Runner said he hasn't been approached by Roski or stadium proponents about the exemption. "All we know is that the discussion is going on," he said.
State Sen. Bob Huff (R-Glendora), who oversees the portion of Industry where the stadium is proposed, also wasn't approached by stadium proponents, said Huff's spokeswoman Junay Gardner.
Huff, whose wife Mei Mei Huff is on Majestic's payroll, has publicly supported the stadium.
Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta) was approached by "stadium proponents," said Hollingsworth's spokeswoman Melanie Reagan. It wasn't immediately clear with whom and when Hollingsworth met them.
Hollingsworth pushed hard for a controversial bill some critics argued would have benefited the proposed NFL stadium during the recent state budget stalemate. The bill, named after Industry, would have extended the life of redevelopment agencies for 40 years without having to prove blight as long as the state received a 10 percent cut of the property-tax revenue.
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, a Democrat from Los Angeles, pulled the bill after critics said it would help fund the infrastructure for the stadium project.
The legislature ends its session Sept. 11.
For an archive of NFL stadium stories, click here. Follow news on the NFL stadium in the LA-area and more on Twitter @jmswgnr
State Sen. George Runner (R-Lancaster) said Friday that he is open to expediting the environmental approval process for projects but an exemption from environmental law may be difficult with only days left in the legislative session.
"This is a difficult time to move that bill that quickly," said Runner, the vice-chair of the Environmental Quality Committee that oversees the California Environmental Quality Act, the environmental law that governs new development.
The proposed exemption's bill language appears not to be finalized and doesn't have an author, officials said Friday.
Billionare developer Ed Roski Jr. and his representatives from his company, Majestic Realty Co., met with two legislative leaders Thursday in Sacramento to pitch the 75-000-seat stadium in Industry as a job-generating project.
But it turns out Majestic and its lobbyists have been seeking an exemption from environmental rules holding up the proposed football stadium near the 57/60 freeway interchange, according to local officials. A neighboring city, Walnut, filled a lawsuit against the project in March, objecting to its environmental impact study.
Roski met Thursday with Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), which also included Maria Elena Durazo, head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, legislative officials said.
Runner said he hasn't been approached by Roski or stadium proponents about the exemption. "All we know is that the discussion is going on," he said.
State Sen. Bob Huff (R-Glendora), who oversees the portion of Industry where the stadium is proposed, also wasn't approached by stadium proponents, said Huff's spokeswoman Junay Gardner.
Huff, whose wife Mei Mei Huff is on Majestic's payroll, has publicly supported the stadium.
Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta) was approached by "stadium proponents," said Hollingsworth's spokeswoman Melanie Reagan. It wasn't immediately clear with whom and when Hollingsworth met them.
Hollingsworth pushed hard for a controversial bill some critics argued would have benefited the proposed NFL stadium during the recent state budget stalemate. The bill, named after Industry, would have extended the life of redevelopment agencies for 40 years without having to prove blight as long as the state received a 10 percent cut of the property-tax revenue.
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, a Democrat from Los Angeles, pulled the bill after critics said it would help fund the infrastructure for the stadium project.
The legislature ends its session Sept. 11.
For an archive of NFL stadium stories, click here. Follow news on the NFL stadium in the LA-area and more on Twitter @jmswgnr
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