Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich had planned for the county board to take a position Tuesday opposing AEG’s bid for special state protection against environmental lawsuits. But AEG revealed that his wife had been seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees from the company’s affiliate in Shanghai, posing a potential conflict of interest.
Antonovich abruptly abandoned his proposal Tuesday, canceling the vote and handing AEG a victory.
The company has become increasingly aggressive in its arguments for the $1.2-billion stadium, putting pressure on state lawmakers to provide relief before their recess Sept. 9. Although the City Council gave a preliminary OK to the project’s financing plan earlier this month, AEG threatened to abandon its stadium plan unless state lawmakers approve legislation that would limit the company’s exposure to “frivolous” lawsuits.
AEG Chief Executive Tim Leiweke has also lashed out at Majestic Realty, a developer with plans for a City of Industry stadium that has been quietly trying to undermine the downtown plan in Sacramento and elsewhere.
Read more here: AEG goes after downtown L.A. stadium critic Antonovich
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0831-aeg-antonovich-20110831,0,5449816.story