Two California state legislators have "accused the California Air Resources Board of racism over delays in approving a proposed Clippers arena," while MSG Co. has "launched a new offensive against" the arena, according to a front-page piece by Jason Henry of the PASADENA STAR-NEWS. California state Sen. Steven Bradford and state Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove are alleging that the CARB has put the arena project "at risk while expediting approval for other sports complexes in more affluent communities." The proposal for the Inglewood Basketball & Sports Center, which the Clippers "hope to have open" by '24, has been "under review for more than 270 days." By comparison, Chase Center "received approval in 63 days." Bradford and Kamlager-Dove in a letter dated Oct. 1 wrote that CARB's 'inaction poses an imminent threat to the viability of the project' and could jeopardize several community benefits offered by the Clippers," including a proposal to pay $75M toward affordable housing in the area. CARB "forced the Clippers to revise and resubmit their application in June," and a letter sent to Bradford this week "suggests CARB expects to make its decision ... within 120 days of receiving the revised application." Meanwhile, MSG, which runs potential a rival location in The Forum, unveiled an ad campaign that includes billboards and a website and "calls for the rejection of the project because of potential environmental effects." It claims the arena "'will damage the environment and harm the Inglewood community' by drawing 4 million more cars and creating 550,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases." A Forum spokesperson said that the campaign was "timed to push back against attempts to pressure CARB to approve the project" (PASADENA STAR-NEWS, 10/16).
