Bring back the Rams: Official says an agreement “in principle” has been reached for NFL stadium

By James Wagner, Staff Writer
An agreement has been reached “in principle” in the ongoing settlement talks over the proposed NFL stadium in Industry, a city official said Friday. Industry Mayor Dave Perez said that all sides came to the tentative agreement concerning a settlement over a lawsuit filed by Walnut over Majestic Realty Co.’s 75,000-seat stadium. “It’s fair for both sides,” he said. Any agreement would have to be approved or rejected by Industry and Walnut city councils. Perez said he couldn’t give specifics because of a confidentiality agreement barring public comments on the details of talks.

The meetings, which began Monday, are closed and have been kept under wraps. Perez hasn’t been part of the negotiations but is familiar with the meetings because a handful of Industry representatives have been part of the talks.

John Van de Kamp, a former Los Angeles County district attorney and California attorney general in the 1980s, has served as the talks’ mediator since negotiations were mandated by California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg last Friday.

Steinberg postponed a Senate vote on a bill last week that would have granted an environmental exemption for Majestic Realty’s 75,000-seat stadium in Industry.

Majestic and its owner, billionaire Ed Roski Jr., had been lobbying hard for weeks for relaxation of environmental laws governing the development. Last Thursday, the Assembly overwhelmingly approved the bill before Steinberg pulled it.

Walnut filed a lawsuit in March to prevent the 600-acre development, seeking a new environmental-impact study. The first round of settlement talks broke off in May when Majestic Realty accused Walnut of requesting nearly $800 million in items unrelated to the stadium, including a $500 million stadium roof.

If a settlement isn’t reached, the Senate vowed to take up the vote by the end of the month.

Other officials involved with negotiations refused to comment on the apparent agreement, saying they were barred by confidentiality.

james.wagner@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2236

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