The 26 acres of mostly parking lots north of Staples Center where Phil Anschutz and partners want to build a mega-hotel and entertainment complex is some of the most high profile acreage downtown. Except to the county tax assessor, reports Beth Barrett in the Daily News. The assessor's office mysteriously left the land off the tax rolls for the past five years, costing the county $2.5 million.

Rumors overlaid with conspiracy theories had a handful of City Hall insiders abuzz in recent weeks. The land was turned over by the Community Redevelopment Agency to the L.A. Arena Land Co. in 1999 as part of the city's incentives to get Staples built.

But five years later, the Los Angeles County Assessor's Office had no record of the property transfer and had never sent a bill to the company, owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group, which in turn is owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz....

Anschutz spokesman Michael Roth says if they owe back taxes they will pay it. The story has good detail on the complex and expensive deal by which Anschutz obtained the city land on which Staples is built.