The San Diego City Council on Friday said that the
Padres have "asked for too much public funding" for their
proposed ballpark, according to Philip LaVelle of the SAN
DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. Mayor Susan Golding said that the
project, projected at $410M, "must be scaled back it is to
be viable." Golding: "We think it's a great project for the
city, but right now it's too expensive." Golding canceled
Tuesday's meeting of the city's Task Force on Ballpark
Planning and said the city and team would have to return to
the "bargaining table." LaVelle reported that the latest
developments "surprised" team execs, who expect the council
to approve a financing plan before August 7 -- the deadline
to make it on the November ballot. Padres President Larry
Lucchino: "We have set forth a comprehensive proposal that
is a full and final offer. We made what we think is a very
fair proposal" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/27).
TEAM OFFERS $100M: On Saturday, the Padres released the
primary terms of their latest proposal, as Lucchino said
that the team "decided to lay their cards on the table to
put the matter in full public view." The documents reveal
that the team "would assume responsibility for construction
cost overruns and would manage operations at the proposed
ballpark, which would be owned by the city." Although she
"was clearly annoyed," Golding "gave the Padres credit for
indicating a willingness to cap the city's financial
exposure," as the team's proposal "specifically calls for no
new or increased taxes." The Padres "have agreed to boost
their contribution" to $100M and have agreed to remain in
San Diego for 30 years. On Saturday, Golding "repeated an
earlier statement that the Padres have asked for too much
public funding," but Lucchino said that the team has "no
plans to negotiate any further." Lucchino and Golding said
that they have agreed on "several major terms," but remain
split on "several major terms," which financially amount to
a $40M "gap" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/28).
