Don't bet on Sacto lawmakers giving in to Anschutz

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John Pérez both dismissed the idea of an environmental exemption on the downtown stadium plan. Philip Anschutz's AEG is pushing hard for the exemption from California Environmental Quality Act requirements, citing the fact that one had been granted to billionaire Ed Roski, who wants to build his own NFL stadium in City of Industry. But Steinberg and Pérez said the 2009 CEQA exemption was merited by extraordinary and very specific circumstances. The other thing to remember is that it would be a break for L.A., and you know how folks around the state feel about L.A. If an exemption isn't given, it greatly delays the timetable for building the stadium, which seems like a sensible idea anyway. (Capitol Alert)