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If you're not making much headway on the basic argument - that you should be exempt from standard legal challenges all other California businesses have to deal with - why not go on the offensive by accusing one of your opponents of a conflict? At issue is a payment dispute between the wife of L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and an affiliate of stadium developer Anschutz Entertainment Group. Christine Hu Antonovich claims that AEG Business Management Consulting owes her money (her attorney says it's under $200,000) for introducing AEG executives to Chinese officials. From the LAT:
County supervisors Tuesday were scheduled to consider a motion by Antonovich opposing AEG's push in Sacramento to curtail the time period allowed for legal challenges to its $1-billion stadium proposal. But in a letter Monday, AEG lawyer James Sutton said a vote should not be cast until the county's lawyers determine whether Antonovich should be disqualified from participating.
No way to know whether Hu Antonovich is really owed the money (AEG doesn't believe there was a binding agreement for payment), but perception-wise, her relationship with the developer does raise all kinds of red flags. And Antonovich didn't think any of this would come out? Daily News also has the story.
*Update: Antonovich withdrew his motion.
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted
until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.