Arizona Chamber of Commerce president doesn’t want D-backs to become ‘Utah Pika’

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ proposed tax recapture bill, according to multiple accounts, is in the final stages of approval in the Senate. But until it passes a vote of approval, there will be concern lurking for the D-backs and the small businesses in downtown Phoenix that Chase Field supports.

Arizona Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Danny Seiden on KTAR News 92.3’s The Mike Broomhead Show presented the urgency he sees with the still-tenuous situation.

“Utah is being very aggressive. Oregon is being very aggressive,” Seiden said. “They’re passing legislation — you know, $800, $600 million — to pay for a new baseball stadium. That’s not anything the Diamondbacks are looking for (money-wise).

“If we’re not careful, we’re going to see that the Arizona Diamondbacks become the Utah Pika or whatever awful animal they change it to. They took our Coyotes and turned them into the Mastodon Elephants (Utah Mammoth) … I don’t even want to say it. It hurts my heart. Some Utah nonsense. I’m very pro-Arizona here.”

"If we're not careful, we're going to see the Arizona Diamondbacks become the Utah Pika."

Arizona Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Danny Seiden joined @BroomheadShow to discuss the progress of a possible renovation deal for Chase Field. @dbseiden @AZSports

Full video:… pic.twitter.com/TOaL2I6ZkC

— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) May 20, 2025

Now, Seiden said all that after pointing out that the D-backs’ HB2704 is in the final stages.

Diamondbacks CEO and president Derrick Hall said in early May that it was at the 5-yard line, and Seiden added Tuesday that while the city of Phoenix and Mayor Kate Gallego have pushed back with financial amendments to the proposals, she is “coming around” with changes to the legislation in progress.

“It’s at the final stages right now. It’s being worked out in the budget,” Seiden said. “The city of Phoenix has thrown up some objections and is requiring some different amendments and negotiations. We’re hopeful in hearing Mayor Gallego is coming around and finding things she should sign off on.”

What is the proposed renovation bill to help the D-backs fix up Chase Field?

The bill, as proposed, would reinvest sales taxes collected at Chase Field back into the ballpark, and it passed in the House on Feb. 26. The bill has been slowly working its way through the Senate.

Financial amendments have capped the public contributions and removed income taxes being diverted back into the ballpark. Maricopa County Board of Supervisors chairman Thomas Galvin also pushed back because some of the amendments had sales tax revenue used from outside the stadium’s walls that would go back into the ballpark.

Seiden said Tuesday that Chase Field, which could require around $400-500 in renovations over the coming years, is a boon for the downtown businesses that receive visitors during half of the baseball season.

“I don’t know what you would do with that building if the Diamondbacks leave,” Seiden said. “You saw what happened with the Madhouse on McDowell. You get the state fair, you get a couple concerts … They’re going to have a really hard time getting revenue out of it.

“The Chamber, we’ve been interviewing all the local downtown businesses. They all say the same thing: ‘If the D-backs leave, we leave. We cannot stay open.'”

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