Bill to speed up stadium proposal goes to assembly


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A bill to expedite legal hurdles for creating a new Los Angeles football stadium passed two California State Assembly committees and has been submitted to the legislative floor on Wednesday.

The California Assembly has four days to vote on the bill on the proposed $1.2 billion downtown stadium by Anschutz Entertainment Group. Environmental groups, however, have expressed concern that the bill will allow the project to bypass crucial environmental standards.

“I think it’s more important that we get it done right than we get it done fast,” Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), chairman of the chamber’s Environmental Quality Committee, told the Los Angeles Times.

But, two other environmental groups that originally opposed the bill expressed their approval Tuesday. The National Resources Defense Council and the California League of Conservation Voters supported AEG’s plan to make the stadium carbon-neutral and encourage more public transportation.

California Assembly Speaker John Perez, who supports and submitted the bill, said the project factors in environmental concerns and processes while also creating jobs.

“It was very important to me that this project and our legislation gain the support of such well-respected environmental champions,” Speaker Pérez told NBC.

If the bill passes the assembly, it must still go to the state senate and be signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The proposed stadium would be built next to the Staples Center downtown.