The date was October 29, 2009, when I asked members of the media and community to join me on the top floor of a new building on Capitol Mall. I said, “Look out the windows and let yourself dream.” Today (March 11, 2010), the city of Sacramento began to grab hold of that dream. In a special session of the City Council, we received recommendations from the Sacramento First citizens’ Task Force about ways to build a new entertainment and sports complex.

The Task Force saw the dream and ran with it. The volunteers said of the seven ideas submitted to Sacramento First, three proposals were most feasible.

And the Task Force said the best idea involved integrating The Kamilos Group convergence plan with the downtown railyard intermodal proposal carried by Thomas Enterprises.

Click here to watch the press conference that immediately followed the special session.

Many details must be worked out as the city moves forward. Staff must receive direction from City Council. The developers must understand the city’s need for performance thresholds and deadlines, plus the limitations of our budget.

But if you attended Thursday’s special session, you saw the potential of a city working together.

The Task Force created a spirit of protecting the taxpayers, of not being used for leverage, of negotiating on even terms, of thinking in and out of the box. Those core principles came from the Rules of the Game announced last October.

The Task Force was decisive and direct, pointing to the project that would create the most jobs, which are desperately needed in Sacramento, and provide the greatest economic development.

Jobs and economic development are the first motivations for making this project work, as the Task Force made clear.

As a city, we owe the Task Force our thanks. The volunteers gave more than 900 hours of expert time and advice. If they were conservatively billing at their worthy rates, the bill would have run beyond $250,000.

Sacramento cashed in at no cost.

Thanks to the Task Force, we have a critical path toward a new entertainment and sports complex.

Let’s get to work. 

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