Sacramento Organizations Announce Opposition To Arena Tax

For Immediate Release: September 18, 2006      

Contact: Shawnda Westly (916) 201-8582
 
 
Sacramento Organizations including the NAACP, LULAC & La Raza
Network Announce Opposition to Arena Tax
Community Groups Oppose the Arena Tax Because It’s A Bad Deal For Sacramento
 
Today, in a press conference in Cesar Chavez Park, a diverse coalition of community groups including the Sacramento NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens and La Raza Network announced their opposition to the Arena Tax (Measures Q & R).  Leaders from each group declared the Arena Tax a bad deal for Sacramento and urged voters to vote no on Measure Q & R on the November Ballot.
 
“The Arena Tax is a bad deal for Sacramento,” stated Betty Williams, President, NAACP Sacramento Branch.  “Our community has more important priorities.  Before we give away millions of dollars to out of town billionaires we should be improving our local schools, fighting crime and increasing investments in our community.”
 
Measures Q & R (The Arena Tax) will increase the sales tax in Sacramento County to raise $562 million to build a sports and entertainment facility, with all revenues from the facility going to the Maloof Sports and Entertainment Corporation.  If approved, none of the additional sales tax dollars will be available for desperately-needed community projects for at least 7 years after construction of the arena has been completed. Community leaders and elected officials from all over Sacramento County agree that public dollars should not be used to subsidize billionaire sports team owners when basic community needs such as flood control, public safety, education, housing and healthcare must be addressed first.
 
“Measures Q & R are a bad deal for Sacramento because there are more important problems that need to be addressed in our community,” stated Rebecca Sandoval, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Lorenzo Patiño Council.  “Important issues like healthcare, increasing funding for schools, making our streets sager, must all be addressed before we give away hundreds of millions of tax dollars to billionaire sports team owners.”
 
Sacramentans Against the Arena Tax is a campaign to oppose Measures Q & R in Sacramento County. The campaign is being led by a strong coalition of community leaders, organizations and individuals that have come together to stop the Arena Tax.  For more information please visit http://www.Stopthearenatax.org or call Shawnda Westly at (916) 201-8582.