Edward P Jr Roski

Convinced he can succeed where so many before him have failed, billionaire developer Ed Roski today will unveil plans for a proposed NFL stadium in the City of Industry, aimed at luring the league back to the Los Angeles area. NFL executives have already visited the site, which is near the intersection of the 57 and 60 freeways, and have had several conversations with Roski.

Land developer Ed Roski Jr., who was instrumental in the building of Staples Center, has 600 acres, a plan for a new stadium in the City of Industry, and experience in dealing with the confounding folks who run the NFL. Maintaining he's not "nuts" for resuming his NFL quest after the frustrating and fruitless try to win an expansion team for the Coliseum a few years ago, Roski said Monday he will meet with NFL officials soon.

USC will announce today that it has received a $23-million gift for its fine arts school from trustee Ed Roski and his wife, artist Gayle Garner Roski. In honor of the donation, which will increase the art school's $5-million endowment more than fivefold, the school will be named the Gayle Garner Roski School of Fine Arts. "This is a transformative gift," said Ruth Weisberg, dean of the university's art school.

Edward P. Roski Jr., who is bidding to land a National Football League expansion for a refurbished Los Angeles Coliseum, owns a casino in Las Vegas--an apparent conflict under league rules. Roski operates the Silverton Hotel Casino and RV Park, which he opened about 18 months ago when the previous casino went bust. Roski--who owns the property--had been leasing the site to operators of the Boomtown casino.

The New Coliseum project, which gained momentum with its presentation before NFL owners in Kansas City, Mo., last month, has hired former USC football player J.K. McKay to join its effort, with the expectation of his playing a prominent role. McKay, who had worked on behalf of Hollywood Park earlier, will leave the downtown Los Angeles law firm of Allen, Matkins, Leck, Gambel & Mallory to work full-time for Majestic Reality to help owner Ed Roski win the NFL derby for an expansion team.

Adding to its array of properties in its attempt to become the dominant player in Southern California sports, L.A. Arena Co. and its majority owners, Philip Anschutz and Ed Roski, have exercised an option to buy 25% of the Lakers. Terms of the deal, announced Wednesday, were not disclosed. The option was granted on June 14, 1996, in conjunction with the Lakers' agreeing to become a tenant in the new Staples Center, a $300-plus million, 20,000-seat downtown facility that will also house L.A.

And the winner is: Los Angeles. It might only be a one-day victory, but in Hollywood style, Los Angeles went to the sizzle Tuesday, calling on the voice of Moses to remind NFL owners just where the promised land is located. And while the selection of Charlton Heston, the National Rifle Assn. president, to narrate the New Coliseum video presentation might have fed the NFL's foreboding gunfire image of previous visits to play the Raiders, it was L.A.'s only fumble on an otherwise brilliant day.

The finance plan for the New Coliseum, revealed publicly for the first time Monday and already receiving favorable reviews from NFL officials, will require owners Ed Roski & Partners to come up with more than $200 million in a Staples Center-like deal, while relying on $40 million in public money, $100 million in personal seat licenses and the highest-priced luxury suites in the NFL.

King owners Philip Anschutz and Edward Roski Jr. shun interviews and prefer the spotlight to be focused on the athletes who play on their teams.

The owners of the Kings have been talking to Rupert Murdoch and his Fox Sports Group about becoming an entertainment partner in their downtown sports arena and entertainment complex, which could ultimately include ownership interest in the Kings and Lakers. Sources said Fox, which is negotiating to buy the Dodgers, is seeking a firmer grip on the local TV market, and its ultimate objective is controlling interest in the Lakers.