SAN DIEGO (June 12, 2018}- Councilmember Alvarez has issued the following statement regarding today's Council approval of the City's $5 million payment for a long-term leasehold interest in tidelands property needed for the Convention Center Phase Ill project:

"This is simply another bad real estate deal. Regardless of whether a convention center expansion happens, taxpayers are on the hook for over $5 million."

"Additionally, I am concerned about the legality of using taxpayer money to silence a "no" campaign for an initiative supported by special interests. My constituents elected me to spend taxpayer money on neighborhood priorities, not on priorities of interest groups."

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