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GLORIA PENNER (Host): One bright spot
in all this gloomy economic news is Comic-Con International,
the annual convention that's celebrating its 40th year this weekend.
More than 140,000 people are expected to participate this year,
generating about $42 million for the local economy.
The convention soldout two months ago, which is nothing new for Comic-Con.
But it raises the question of whether Comic-Con will stay in San Diego after its contract
with the convention center expires in three years.
So we wanted to find out if the economic benefits of Comic-Con so great
that it is worthwhile to expand the convention center.
So we put the chief economist of SANDAG, Marney ***, on the record.
MARNEY *** (SANDAG): Well, I think it's very important in one ways.
It's like almost the largest convention that comes to San Diego,
so in that sense it fills up the entire convention center.
It brings a ton of people to the downtown area.
And probably especially at this point in time, when we have high unemployment rates
and not a lot of business in the downtown area.
If we're going to pick just one particular convention,
it's probably not all that to keep to San Diego.
And I the Convention and Visitor's Bureau and people who look at this type
of data would suggest that there be ways to fill it in.
The concept would be in order to keep it, should we expand the convention center.
And I think then, you bring in a whole different set of questions.
You have to ask yourself whatever the money is that the public would be spending on this,
what other items could it also be purchasing with that same funds.
We have water shortages, we have power problems, a long laundry list of things
that are perhaps more important to the residents here in the region if you try to stack them
up against how we may spend our tax dollars.
PENNER: 140,000 people, all the hotel rooms they occupy, restaurants they visit,
how important do you believe Comic-Con is to San Diego?
TONY PERRY (Los Angeles Times): Oh, my goodness.
For four days every year we're the zombie capital of the world.
That's got to be very important.
One convention, even a big one, does not the San Diego economy make,
however, but it's doggone important.
And expanding the convention center, you either buy into the idea
that we need a convention center or you don't.
Jerry Sanders says we turn away enough conventions every year
to fill the convention center up twice over, so pay me now, pay me later.
I think the convention center, if we're going to stay
with this tourism economy of ours, has to be expanded.
PENNER: Do you buy that?
Do you buy that this would be a good reason for expanding the convention center?
TOM YORK (San Diego Business Journal):
Well I agree that I think one convention does not an expansion justify,
if I could rephrase that phrase.
But you know in the fact that we have to turn away a year's worth
of convention business every year, I think then that's putting it
into the realm of looking at an expansion.
PENNER: Is that what's wrong with the convention center that we have to turn away business?
YORK: Well, it's small compared to other sites here on the West Coast, so we're losing business
to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other venues on the coast.
And so, do we expand or do we look at becoming something different like becoming a niche place
for certain high-end conventions.
PENNER: So let's go back to the people.
How the people benefit from an expanded convention center?
Is this the best use of the people's money,
because eventually it'll be coming back to tax money, right?
PERRY: Yes and no.
Remember how we built this convention center and this convention center classic San Diego --
when San Diego goes to do something, small, cautious, cost effective, worrisome,
we never do anything particularly large or bold.
Don't forget the way this thing got built more or less is the state Legislature twisted the arm
of the world's most richest public agency, the Port Commission and twisted some money
out of them and said "you spend it down in San Diego for a convention center
or we'll just *** it away because you make profits off of state tideland."
So we've always been real careful in how this is funded.
But you either buy the idea that tourism is a good way
to fund your economy, is a good engine, or you don't.
PENNER: So you're saying the people will benefit.
Who else are the beneficiaries?
YORK: Well I think the beneficiaries are the people who run the convention business,
but the visitors are going to be severely taxed to underwrite this expansion.
And it's going to provide jobs but the jobs are at the low end.
So you have to ask the question, "Is this the best use of monies to expand something?"
And also the convention center as expanded will further cut off the waterfront to the public.
PENNER: And what happens if we don't expand the convention center and Comic-Con leaves?
YORK: I think it will be a sad day but life will go on.
After all, the sun still shines, there are tens of thousands of people still going to the beach.
PENNER: Life will go on.
PERRY: Yeah, just like it went on after all the pro basketball teams
because the Sports Arena wasn't good enough, because boxing left
because the arena wasn't good enough, because a lot of things leave San Diego
because San Diego is small and it's thinking off times.
PENNER: Well Tony Perry, thank you very much, and Tom York.
YORK: Thank you.