A motion by County Mayor Michael D. Antonovich would oppose state legislation providing legal protections for a proposed football stadium in downtown Los Angeles , unless provisions are made to provide similar protection for critical public and non-profit facilities including hospitals, libraries, schools and transportation projects.

“State legislators should put vital projects like hospitals, libraries, schools and transportation projects on equal footing with football stadiums giving them the same protection from legal exposure,” said Antonovich in a letter to state legislators.  “The argument that a stadium needs special treatment because it will create jobs and spur local economic growth applies equally to other projects crucial for the public and funded by their tax dollars.”

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In his motion, Antonovich said that rather than passing laws for special developer interests, the legislature should eliminate the State’s cumbersome rules and regulations that create barriers to all economic development for public and non-profit facilities.  “The environmental review process adds over a year to government construction projects that provide vital public services such as hospitals, libraries and schools,” he said.  “The construction of critical projects such as the High Desert Multispecialty Ambulatory Care Center (MACC) and the Martin Luther King Jr. MACC are routinely delayed due to state bureaucratic red tape.”