CITY COUNCIL APPROVES $60M JACK MURPHY STADIUM EXPANSION

     The San Diego City Council voted 8-1 yesterday to approve a
plan to sell taxable lease revenue bonds to finance a $60M
expansion of Jack Murphy Stadium, according to the San Diego
DAILY TRANSCRIPT.  The City Attorney's Office has also filed a
motion with the 4th District Court of Appeal asking the court to
take emergency action to certify the availability of funds for
the expansion project.  A group led by former Councilman Bruce
Henderson, tax activist Richard Rider and Steven Green of the
Libertarian Party contend it is illegal to approve a bond sale
without a vote of the people.  Any legal action by this group
could hold the project up for years, but the City Attorney's
motion is intended to keep the project moving forward.  Henderson
and his group plan to meet with their counsel to decide on a next
step while a hearing on the issue has been scheduled for February
16 in San Diego Superior Court (Thor Biberman, San Diego DAILY
TRANSCRIPT, 1/10).