Oakland mayor on A’s: ‘We won’t let them go’
Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf appeared on television on Wednesday morning and had a simple message to those worried the A’s might leave: “Hell no, we won’t let them go.”
Schaff spoke during a segment on KRON a day after the A’s announced that they have the blessing of Major League Baseball to consider relocation if their Howard Terminal ballpark project is not approved by Oakland officials. Another bombshell was that MLB, for the first time, said no stadium project would be approved at the Coliseum site, the A’s 55-year-old current home.
“I’m glad MLB made it clear that keeping the A’s is urgent,” Schaaf said during the segment. “And the only path for doing so is the new project at the waterfront. I’m excited because we have made a lot of progress.”
Schaaf is under pressure not to lose the third and final professional sports team under her tenure. The Raiders left for Las Vegas in 2020, a year after the Golden State Warriors moved into their state-of-the-art facility in San Francisco. The A’s have played at the Oakland Coliseum since they moved from Kansas City in 1968 and have been seeking a new facility for two decades.
Schaaf would be the tie-breaking vote in an Oakland City Council vote to approve the A’s financial plan. The A’s and president Dave Kaval have been publicly pushing for a council vote before their summer recess in July.
“We need them to vote, that is true,” Schaaf said. “We’re working on bringing them a financial plan that we believe they can support. We are looking to do that before the end of July.”
Time is the A’s biggest concern. Their current lease at the Coliseum ends in 2024, and the waterfront ballpark’s earliest opening date — even if the city council votes as soon as possible — would be in 2027.
“We’re still hopeful that we can make progress in Oakland,” Kaval said. “But we’re down to some of our last at-bats.”
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred contacted Schaaf before the A’s and MLB dropped the negotiating bombshell on Tuesday morning. Kaval said no official list of relocation options has been curated, and that it is up to MLB to provide viable markets. Manfred has, in the past, listed Las Vegas, Portland, Oregon; Vancouver, British Colombia; Nashville, Tennessee; San Antonio; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Montreal as potential expansion sites. If the Giants relinquish their rights to Santa Clara County, which seems unlikely, San Jose could potentially be on the table, too.
The A’s and MLB are prioritizing the de
velopment at Howard Terminal. And they said as much to Schaaf.
“Oakland is still their preference,” Schaaf said. “They want Oakland to work.”
Oakland officials, including a handful of city council members who the A’s are urging a vote from, issued statements to explain the hold-up. Council president Nikki Fortunado Bas said the council wants to meet with ownership before moving forward. Council member Carroll Fife tweeted a thread saying she felt she needed to be careful about public comments made around the project.
One tweet said: “‘Your tears don’t move me.’ And neither does bullying, trolling, lying, threatening, slandering, or hurling sexist, racist stereotypes to get your desired response.
“What’s been presented about this project (on Twitter) since I’ve been on council has been sleazy, unethical & untrue reveals deep issues with how “business” is done in Oakland.”