REALITY CHECK: Jacqui James

Posted August 11 at 10:29 AM

The quarterback may be a drunk. The wide receiver may be a prima donna who takes plays off. The defense may be shaving points.

Still, when the team loses, the coach gets fired. That’s a truism that crosses over from sports to business. When a corporation or company does not live up to expectations, the CEO or president can pay the price.

Such is the story of Jacqui James, the now-former general manager of the city-owned Stockton Arena and Bob Hope Theatre whose forced early retirement was announced last week.

The arena and Hope have lost money and not drawn the entertainment acts some have expected. As a result, there has been increasing criticism of IFG-Stockton, who manages the facilities for the city and employed James. So IFG canned James.

When I told people last week that James was gone, most were excited. They felt the arena and Hope would now be moving in a more positive direction.

But chances are they’re wrong. Even though the coach is gone, the drunken quarterback, prissy wide receiver and degenerate gambler of a linebacker are still in the starting lineup.

Before I go on about who’s also to blame for the struggles of the Hope and arena, it’s important to clarify how the venues actually work. Neither IFG-Stockton nor the general manager of the facilities is responsible for bringing musicians and entertainers to Stockton.

That’s left to the promoters who organize shows.

IFG’s job is to convince promoters that they can make money by bringing a concert or event to Stockton.

With that said, here’s a look at who else is responsible for the success of the Hope and arena:

The people of Stockton. The arena and Hope are not foreign-run businesses. They’re owned by the city. As a result, every city resident has a responsibility to help the venues succeed by attending concerts and events. Sure, not every event appeals to every resident. And yes, the economy is struggling. But when you compare the size of the Hope (2,000 capacity) and arena (10,000 capacity) with Stockton's population (nearing 300,000), you realize that that only reason attendance at events has been disappointing is because more local residents (including this editor) aren't doing their part.

IFG-Stockton. The corporation certainly can be doing more to market the facility to residents as well as promoters. Over the weekend I received in the mail a gorgeous, full-color brochure listing all the events set to be held during the 2008-2009 season at the Gallo Center in Modesto. It made me want to check out an event at the venue. I've never gotten anything similar about events at the Hope.

The Stockton (nee California) Cougars. Cougars owner Jim Rachels deserves praise for what he’s done for local entertainment. He’s the promoter behind Manteca Idol, a successful annual event which raises money for the Boys and Girls Club. But the bottom line is that indoor soccer doesn’t work - anywhere. The Major Indoor Soccer League has been struggling financially since at least the early 1990s, when the Buffalo Blizzard was playing in my hometown. The Blizzard is now defunct, as the Cougars will be one day. But meanwhile, the arena will be reserved for Cougars games on Friday and Saturday nights in the winter, preventing promoters from bringing other events to the facility on those nights.

Stockton’s rep. Again, promoters will only come to Stockton if they're confident they can make money on events held in the city. National news stories that hype the city's economic struggles, high foreclosure rate and price of gas make it more likely that promoters will take their business elsewhere.

City and county officials. If you build it, they won't necessarily come. Stockton residents have gotten used to heading to the Bay Area or Sacramento on weekends for nightlife and entertainment. They're not going to stop just because Stockton has an arena. There needs to be more for them to do in the city – more restaurants, more bars, more nightlife. City and county officials can help that happen by cleaning up the business permit application process and by improving customer service. When a potential new business owner comes into the city permit office, employees and officials need to first ask "what can I do to make sure your business comes to Stockton?" Officials then need to work with the business owners to make sure the entire permit approval process – including inspections - takes less than a month. – Ian Hill / 209Vibe editor