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Drop off your ballot at Tempe City Hall or the Tempe History Museum from May 8th until May 16th.

Arizona’s NHL team, the Coyotes, and their billionaire owner Alex Meruelo, are proposing a new 4 million sq. ft entertainment district in Tempe.

VOTE NO ON PROP 301, 302, 303.
MAIL YOUR BALLOT BY MAY 9.

Register to Vote

Sign the Petition

Where To Vote

Tempe Mayor Corey Woods ran a campaign in the 2020 elections speaking out against GPLETs and how they cause school districts to suffer since GPLETs take taxable properties off of the roles. In Tempe, 75% of property taxes goes towards public school education. We are urging Tempe residents to vote NO on the arena because we believe Tempe should find a better deal that will provide them with profits for the public, not privatized profits. We need to hold elected officials accountable to their campaign promises and reject this development!

What Are GPLETs?
  • Housing & rent costs will skyrocket

More than half of Tempe houses are renter occupied. Our unhoused and working class communities, students, and small business owners will be forced to move in search of more affordable housing.

  • Arena games will make traffic worse

Commuting in and out of downtown Tempe, Phoenix, or utilizing major interstates will be chaotic and inconvenient with the development of the proposed district, also worsening our air quality.

  • The development will put flight safety at risk

The entertainment district is on the centerline of our state’s busiest airport runway and will reduce flight safety for pilots flying out of PHX Airport.

  • Bad development is bad for the climate

This development project is one of the largest in the nation and it has not taken our limited resources or climate change into consideration – water cuts have already begun in surrounding cities.

  • CORPORATE INFLUENCE THREATENS DEMOCRACY!

Campaign contributions to elected officials from corporations and CEOs leads to our representatives acting in favor of corporate interest instead of the interest of the people. Learn about AZ Coyotes’ CEO Alex Meruelo’s and his Living Trust’s campaign contributions.

  • Fight back against predatory billionaires!

We shouldn’t be rewarding Vegas gambler Alex Meruelo’s predatory bad business with a 30-year tax break! He was kicked out of Glendale for not paying taxes and rent on time.

In the Media

You’re Paying for Sports Stadiums You Don’t Even Go To
Read More
Arizona's terrible NHL team is begging voters for $200 million to build a permanent home
Read More
Coyotes could be locked out of home arena by City of Glendale for unpaid arena charges, delinquent tax bills
Read More
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You’re Paying for Sports Stadiums You Don’t Even Go To
Read More
Arizona's terrible NHL team is begging voters for $200 million to build a permanent home
Read More
Coyotes could be locked out of home arena by City of Glendale for unpaid arena charges, delinquent tax bills
Read More
Previous
Next

Who is Alex Meruelo?

“...numerous new examples of the things that have always made the Coyotes the Coyotes: unpaid or haggled-over bills, endless lawsuits over same, attendance issues, arena issues, underbrained front offices, bullying, intimidating journalists, (say it with me now) at least one case of sexual harassment…”
Ray RattoDefector
“The City of Glendale is threatening to lock the Arizona Coyotes out of Gila River Arena due to delinquent tax bills and unpaid arena charges [...]. The Arizona Department of Revenue filed a tax lien notice in Maricopa County against IceArizona Hockey LLC, the company that owns the Coyotes, for more than $1.3 million in unpaid state and city taxes.”
Katie StrangThe Athletic
“The Coyotes’ majority owner, Alex Meruelo, is a billionaire, twice over. In addition to the team, he owns casinos, a food manufacturing company, an assortment of radio and TV stations and a construction and real estate firm. He has multiple mansions, travels the world in his own Gulfstream V, and he even owns an island. No kidding, this guy owns an island in the Mediterranean.”
Laurie RobertsArizona Republic
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Next

Who is Alex Meruelo?

“...numerous new examples of the things that have always made the Coyotes the Coyotes: unpaid or haggled-over bills, endless lawsuits over same, attendance issues, arena issues, underbrained front offices, bullying, intimidating journalists, (say it with me now) at least one case of sexual harassment…”
Ray RattoDefector
“The City of Glendale is threatening to lock the Arizona Coyotes out of Gila River Arena due to delinquent tax bills and unpaid arena charges [...]. The Arizona Department of Revenue filed a tax lien notice in Maricopa County against IceArizona Hockey LLC, the company that owns the Coyotes, for more than $1.3 million in unpaid state and city taxes.”
Katie StrangThe Athletic
“The Coyotes’ majority owner, Alex Meruelo, is a billionaire, twice over. In addition to the team, he owns casinos, a food manufacturing company, an assortment of radio and TV stations and a construction and real estate firm. He has multiple mansions, travels the world in his own Gulfstream V, and he even owns an island. No kidding, this guy owns an island in the Mediterranean.”
Laurie RobertsArizona Republic
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Learn More About the Props

Mentions in the Press

STUDENTS JOIN TEMPE RESIDENTS IN CONDEMNING TEMPE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT

The State Press: 3/20/23

What Tempe voters need to know about Props. 301, 302, 303: Coyotes arena and entertainment district

Fronteras: 4/18/23

Tempe community divided ahead of May election on Coyotes arena

Tempe Independent: 4/12/23

Both sides of Tempe Entertainment District debate ahead of special vote

ABC 15: 4/18/23

David and Goliath: PACs go head-to-head before Tempe special election for Arizona Coyotes arena

Business Journal: 3/21/23

Group calls out Coyotes owner surrounding proposed entertainment district

AZ Family: 3/20/23

OPINION: FIVE REASONS TO VOTE NO ON TEMPE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT PROPOSITIONS

State Press: 4/26/23

Both sides of Tempe Entertainment District debate ahead of special vote

Yahoo! Sports: 4/19/23

What Tempe voters need to know about Props. 301, 302, 303: Coyotes arena and entertainment district

KJZZ: 4/18/23

TAKE ACTION!

Register to Vote

Sign the Petition

Where To Vote

GPLETs (Government Property Lease Excise Tax) Contribute to Wealth Inequality

Tempe residents will be deciding on whether or not the Arizona Coyotes will receive two GPLETs, one for 8 years (retail, hotel, residential, office buildings) and another for 30 years (arena, music venue, and Coyotes facilities). According to the Goldwater Institute, GPLETs are widely abused in Tempe and Phoenix, in order to hide property from the tax rolls and “unfairly shift the tax burden to existing residents and businesses.” At a time when people are struggling to make ends meet, we shouldn’t be cutting out potential resources that would improve our quality of life. 

GPLETs are often used as a tax abatement scheme by large corporations to remove commercial properties off of the tax roll for a certain period of time, depending on the deal the corporations negotiate with the government. This gives large corporations an unfair advantage and makes it difficult for small businesses to compete. When local governments offer tax incentives to businesses, it diverts resources away from public services such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure. This has a massive negative impact on low-income communities, which rely more heavily on public services.

When local governments offer tax incentives to businesses, it can create a race to the bottom, where different cities compete to offer the most generous tax breaks. This can lead to a situation where corporations are not paying their fair share of taxes,exacerbating wealth inequality. There is some evidence that GPLETs may not be effective at creating the promised economic benefits like job creation. This means that the tax breaks are not benefiting the broader community, but rather only the corporations that receive them.