Post by TheShadow on Mar 19, 2012 19:41:40 GMT -5
www.insidebayarea.com
By Angela Woodall
Oakland Tribune
On Wednesday, the three competing sports and entertainment management companies will have one last chance to convince the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Joint Powers Authority they are the best outfit to run the O.co for the next 10 years.
The bidders -- SMG, Global Spectrum and AEG -- will present their qualifications to a five-member JPA subcommittee that is closed to the public and closed to the other commissioners.
The exclusion of all but two commissioners and support staff provoked a testy back and forth during their regular board meeting Friday morning.
Commissioners Desley Brooks and Aaron Goodwin demanded to be allowed to at least sit in on the oral presentations, "so that we can make an informed decision," Brooks said.
Goodwin, a sports agent, was appointed to the board in December and said he needed to hear the presentations before voting. He said he has worked with those companies.
"I want to and at least deserve to hear what they have to say," he said.
Commissioner and District 4 Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley said he would support allowing one person to observe the presentations but no more. Otherwise, he said they would be "messing with the integrity of the process" and could be open to a legal challenge.
The request was denied by commissioner Ignacio De La Fuente.
There's no harm in opening up the presentations to Brooks or Goodwin, he said by telephone later on Friday. "It's a question of process ... and getting the best deal."
The bids will go before the full board to vote, De La Fuente said. He sits on the subcommittee along with JPA Commissioner and District 1 Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty. Other members are city or county staff: Alameda County Auditor Pat O'Connell and Oakland Assistant City Administrator Scott Johnson. JPA Counsel Deena McClain is the fifth member.
The call for proposals first went out last summer. But the process has been slow while a consultant analyzed the proposals submitted by the companies. Also Haggerty and De La Fuente have been touring operations at the companies' venues in recent months.
Haggerty visited the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in Louisiana, run by SMG, which has run the O.Co Coliseum complex for the past 13 years with no-bid extensions. The entertainment giant SMG got its start in the Louisiana Superdome more than 30 years ago.
Haggerty and De La Fuente visited the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The center belongs to AEG's Philip Anschutz, owner of the San Francisco Examiner. Anschutz's portfolio includes the Los Angeles Lakers, Regal Cinemas, The Weekly Standard and previously telecom giant Qwest Communications. AEG is rumored to still be a suitor for the Oakland Raiders. The entertainment giant controls 226 entertainment facilities worldwide and is eager to add a stadium to its portfolio.
On March 17, the two commissioners will inspect the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of Comcast Spectacor, runs that facility and has plans to build Philly Live!, and entertainment complex. Based in Philadelphia, it controls 11 stadiums and counts a long list of entertainment venues.
These were the only bidders in what will amount to a multimillion contract for juggling two buildings and three sports franchises, including the A's, whose ownership wants to move the team to San Jose.
By Angela Woodall
Oakland Tribune
On Wednesday, the three competing sports and entertainment management companies will have one last chance to convince the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Joint Powers Authority they are the best outfit to run the O.co for the next 10 years.
The bidders -- SMG, Global Spectrum and AEG -- will present their qualifications to a five-member JPA subcommittee that is closed to the public and closed to the other commissioners.
The exclusion of all but two commissioners and support staff provoked a testy back and forth during their regular board meeting Friday morning.
Commissioners Desley Brooks and Aaron Goodwin demanded to be allowed to at least sit in on the oral presentations, "so that we can make an informed decision," Brooks said.
Goodwin, a sports agent, was appointed to the board in December and said he needed to hear the presentations before voting. He said he has worked with those companies.
"I want to and at least deserve to hear what they have to say," he said.
Commissioner and District 4 Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley said he would support allowing one person to observe the presentations but no more. Otherwise, he said they would be "messing with the integrity of the process" and could be open to a legal challenge.
The request was denied by commissioner Ignacio De La Fuente.
There's no harm in opening up the presentations to Brooks or Goodwin, he said by telephone later on Friday. "It's a question of process ... and getting the best deal."
The bids will go before the full board to vote, De La Fuente said. He sits on the subcommittee along with JPA Commissioner and District 1 Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty. Other members are city or county staff: Alameda County Auditor Pat O'Connell and Oakland Assistant City Administrator Scott Johnson. JPA Counsel Deena McClain is the fifth member.
The call for proposals first went out last summer. But the process has been slow while a consultant analyzed the proposals submitted by the companies. Also Haggerty and De La Fuente have been touring operations at the companies' venues in recent months.
Haggerty visited the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in Louisiana, run by SMG, which has run the O.Co Coliseum complex for the past 13 years with no-bid extensions. The entertainment giant SMG got its start in the Louisiana Superdome more than 30 years ago.
Haggerty and De La Fuente visited the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The center belongs to AEG's Philip Anschutz, owner of the San Francisco Examiner. Anschutz's portfolio includes the Los Angeles Lakers, Regal Cinemas, The Weekly Standard and previously telecom giant Qwest Communications. AEG is rumored to still be a suitor for the Oakland Raiders. The entertainment giant controls 226 entertainment facilities worldwide and is eager to add a stadium to its portfolio.
On March 17, the two commissioners will inspect the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of Comcast Spectacor, runs that facility and has plans to build Philly Live!, and entertainment complex. Based in Philadelphia, it controls 11 stadiums and counts a long list of entertainment venues.
These were the only bidders in what will amount to a multimillion contract for juggling two buildings and three sports franchises, including the A's, whose ownership wants to move the team to San Jose.