Unions and business leaders praise jobs, apprenticeships and economic boost from arena plan

Multiple union leaders and construction-trade representatives urged the commission to approve the project, citing local hiring, apprenticeship pathways and prevailing-wage language in the development agreement. Doyle Radford Jr., business manager for Construction & General Laborers Local 185, told commissioners: "We have a commitment to build this, with our local men and women, preferably as many as possible here from the Rancho Cordova community." Several unions and trade councils described broad workforce pathways and asked the city to secure those commitments in the project’s implementation agreements.

Business groups and the Rancho Cordova Area Chamber also supported the plan, saying a downtown entertainment district will attract visitors and help local businesses. Cassandra Markham, director of operations for the Chamber, read the Chamber's official statement saying the project "can create new opportunities for existing businesses, attract future investment and generate greater economic activity throughout Rancho Cordova." The pro-development testimony helped balance numerous residents’ fiscal and traffic questions but did not remove council-level scrutiny of the financial participation agreement.