SAN DIEGO (CelebrityAccess) — San Diego officials have named the group behind the San Diego Gulls minor league hockey team as the new operator of Pechanga Arena.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the decision will pave the way for Anaheim Arena Management, which also manages the nearby the Honda Center in Anaheim, to assume operation of the aging sports and entertainment venue.
The City plans to offer the new operator a 3-year-lease with options for two one-year extensions which the city could nullify, the Union-Tribune reported.
The venue, which is currently named Pechanga Arena as part of a naming rights deal, was operated by AEG Management and the Hahn Family, which pay the city $800,000 a year for the opportunity to host events in the arena.
The AEG-Hahn partnership has overseen the arena for the last 28 years but their most recent contract expired in May.
In a statement to the Union-Tribune, a rep for the Hahn Family said that AEG plans to “defend our position to be the arena operator” and noting that the change in management isn’t official until a new lease is formally negotiated and approved.
AEG is currently engaged in a legal dispute after a judge ordered the company to disclose financial records detailing its revenue and expenses operating the arena.
The 14,800-capacity arena was originally constructed in 1966 and currently serves as the home field for the San Diego Gulls (minor league hockey, the San Diego Sockers (Arena Soccer League), The San Diego Seals (Nationa Lacrosse League), and the San Diego Strike Force (indoor football).
