Where: Corner of 6th & L Streets in Downtown Sacramento

When: Monday, July 24, 2006 - 11 a.m.

Why: Assemblymember Dave Jones joins community groups in opposing public financing of arena

SACRAMENTO - In response to an arena deal struck by the owners of the Sacramento Kings and local officials, Assemblymember Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) will join community organizations in opposing public financing of a new sports arena in Sacramento. He will announce his opposition at an intersection where a man was recently shot dead to highlight the need to invest taxpayer dollars in our community.

According to Jones, revenues generated from a sales tax increase, if approved by voters, should not go toward funding a new sports arena when there are more important issues that need to be addressed.

"We have far more urgent priorities that need to be addressed in this community right now," said Jones. "Our County is facing a chronic budget problem and we desperately need our tax dollars to be invested on programs that will really help the community. In this County we have overcrowded schools, violent crime is on the rise and we still have not even fixed our levies to provide adequate flood protection in the event of an emergency. Numerous studies conducted on sports arenas show that they do not boost the local economy or increase the quality of life in a region. These are bad deals for communities and I'm going to do what's best for this community and oppose it."

Joining Assemblymember Jones at the press conference will be leaders from a number of community organizations including affordable housing advocates, taxpayer groups, labor unions, neighborhood and business leaders.