Taking Stockton Arena

There’s good news for California’s Stockton Arena: It lost $2.1 million in 2007.

That’s $600,000 less than 2006’s deficit of $2.7 million and $200,000 less than what it was expected to lose last year. The new $69 million arena has been in trouble with the city, which was appalled by its 2006 deficit, according to the Stockton Record.

The city asked facility operator International Facilities Group to reduce last year’s deficit to 2.3 million. IFG reduced janitorial and security services, along with other cutbacks, according to the paper.

"It’s better news, but it’s not where we want to be," Vice Mayor Leslie Baranco Martin told the Record.

The arena was never expected to be a profitable venture but rather to infuse commerce into the downtown area.