The City Auditor’s report presented to City Council this week finds that Golden 1 Center met or exceeded all of its local hiring and apprentice goals, met or exceeded local and small business involvement goals, and appears to have positively impacted the Downtown area. The auditor summed it up this way: the arena project earned an A+.
The report also included lessons learned from Golden 1 Center’s development that may improve future City project goals.
“The Golden 1 Center has been an incredible catalyst for our downtown core and has cemented Sacramento’s position as an innovative leader in public-private partnerships and smart sustainable growth into the 21st century economy.
Sacramento dreams big and delivers results on critical projects that foster regional engagement, new markets, and job growth for our residents,” said Mayor Darrell Steinberg.
“Golden 1 Center owes its success to this incredible, forward-thinking and vibrant city. Together, we built an arena that is profoundly impacting the region and will continue to do so for years to come.
By setting ambitious hiring, sourcing and bidding goals for the arena’s construction, we demonstrated confidence in our local workforce and builders while creating a catalyst for economic growth.
We are proud that Golden 1 Center has become the blueprint for a strong public-private partnership capable of producing significant civic impact. We will continue to set the bar high as we further invest in Sacramento through entertainment, downtown properties and more,” said Sacramento Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé
Councilmember Larry Carr noted, “We told the Kings that all communities, especially those underserved, must benefit from the city’s investment in the Golden 1 Center. Career job opportunities were an essential part of the agreement. The Kings not only met, they exceeded their commitment. I could not be more pleased. We need more Public Private Partnerships such as this.”
“When the City Council agreed to build a new downtown arena, the City also committed to a project that could be a growth opportunity for our local economy from its design to the very people that built it.
The audit is our first data on this point and it shows the Kings met or far exceeded the City’s goals for local hiring and we have a lot of reasons to be optimistic around local business involvement. This report confirms that the Golden 1 has been a catalyst for opportunity in our Central City,” said Councilmember Steve Hansen.