The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, which owns the largest casino resort on the West Coast, has decided to challenge the many San Diego casinos on their own turf and “arena” by striking a deal for naming rights for the San Diego Sports Arena.
The arena, previously named Valley View Sports Arena, will now be dubbed “Pechanga Arena San Diego” with Pechanga paying $400,000 annually for the privilege. The deal is for five years.
The owner of Valley View Casino, the San Pasqual Tribe, did not renew its naming right agreement, which prompted AEG, which manages the arena for the city, to contact Pechanga.
Jared Munoa, president of the Pechanga Development Corp., told the Union-Tribune “It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a while — to have a little more exposure in the San Diego area.” He added, “We trust this will be a win/win for the sports arena, for Pechanga and, of course, for San Diego.”
The corporation presented the proposal to the San Diego City Council through a deal that skipped the usual committee process and left one council member criticizing it as being a rush job.
Council member David Alvarez told KPBS news “I just feel like this one is like not a great deal. I don’t know if anyone else feels this way and I feel like there could be more for the city.
Pechanga Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro commented on the naming rights agreement, “We have several partnerships with organizations that are synonymous with Southern California entertainment including the Lakers, the Angels, and Staples Center.” He added, “Believe it or not, the San Diego Sports Arena is the closest major arena to Pechanga, so when they reached out to us, we were excited by the opportunity to partner with this historic venue.”
Ernest Hahn, senior vice president and general manager of AEG Management SD, LLC, commented, “We are thrilled about this partnership with Pechanga Resort Casino. The Pechanga name and reputation carries a lot of weight in the entertainment industry. This partnership will afford us new opportunities and ensures that San Diego will continue to receive the best in premium entertainment and sporting events.”
