Venue News: Sacramento Mayor to Address NBA Board, Pursue New Arena

The Sacramento Kings’ owners won’t be the only ones talking about their possible departure with the National Basketball Association next month. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson will be there, too, the mayor said this week. Johnson announced he has been granted permission to address the NBA Board of Governors at their meeting in mid-April – just days before the Kings’ deadline to file a relocation request. He expects to take “a contingent of Sacramentans” to New York with him to help explain that Sacramento would like to continue its partnership with the Kings and is seriously pursuing construction of a new arena…

…Opponents of an initiative to fund a Las Vegas arena are pushing a bill to outlaw special tax districts in Nevada. A committee this week heard SB495, which would outlaw any provisions that make sales tax rates different in one part of a county than another. The bill comes after legislators earlier this month rejected a petition authorizing a special taxing district in the Strip area, where an additional sales tax of 0.9 percent would be imposed to fund construction of a $448 million arena on land donated by Caesars Entertainment…

…Two Minnesota lawmakers plan to introduce a bill this week with a plan for building a new Vikings stadium paid for in part with a state sales tax on sports memorabilia and luxury boxes, plus stadium naming rights, a pro football player income tax surcharge and a lottery game. The Vikings released a letter on their website this week to legislators from Sen. Julie Rosen of Fairmont and Morrie Lanning of Moorhead. The Republicans wrote to colleagues that the stadium bill is secondary to state budget difficulties, but still urgent with the Vikings’ Metrodome lease ending and that building’s roof collapsed.