Oakland council backs state bills on new A’s ballpark
The Oakland City Council unanimously voted Wednesday to support two state bills essential to the A’s plans to build a new stadium at Howard Terminal at the Port of Oakland.
The bills — SB293 and AB1191 — would streamline the process for the A’s to start building a privately financed ballpark, which would include affordable housing and commercial buildings.
The resolution was introduced by City Council members Loren Taylor and Nikki Fortunato Bas to ensure the city is part of the process as plans take form. It was passed by a 7-0 vote. Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney was excused.
“I think one thing is very true about Oakland: We all love our sports team,” Bas said at the meeting. “We want to make sure we make decisions that are in the best interest of Oakland today, as well as in the future.”
AB1191, written by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, streamlines the permitting process for the new ballpark. The bill is expected to be voted on June 25 by the Senate’s Natural Resources and Water Committee.
SB293, written by Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, allows the creation of a new tax district in Oakland to cover millions of dollars in infrastructure costs. The bill will next be voted on by the Assembly’s Local Government Committee. A date has not been set yet.
More than 60 people spoke about the resolution at the City Council meeting. Some people encouraged the council to support the legislation, saying that the new ballpark would create housing and more jobs and ensure that the A’s would remain in Oakland.
“The A’s have been here when everybody else has jumped ship,” one woman said. “We have somebody here that wants to stay, invest in the community, continue being here. We need this baseball team.”
Others expressed concerns that a new ballpark would spur gentrification and displacement in West Oakland. Maritime industry representatives, who have been loud opponents of the new ballpark plans, spoke before the meeting on the steps of City Hall and said they would continue fighting against plans at Howard Terminal.
“We are not going to take this lying down and we are not going to take this without a fight,” said Keith Shanklin, the president at Local 34, which represents pile drivers. “This is our port.”
Dave Kaval, the president of the A’s, called the vote an important step in moving forward with plans for the 35,000-seat stadium that includes nearby housing and commercial developments on the Oakland Estuary near Jack London Square.
“We greatly appreciate the feedback of the council and members of the public who spoke” Wednesday, Kaval said. “We are grateful for the support of Sen. Nancy Skinner and Assemblyman Rob Bonta for our effort to build a new ballpark district at Howard Terminal that will be a model of green design, sustainable development and environmental justice reform.”
The City Council’s approval of the project, its infrastructure and financing plan will come at a later undetermined date. An informational report is scheduled for July 2 at the city’s Community and Economic Development Committee that will include preliminary information on the transportation plans for the project.
In April, Mayor Libby Schaaf told Kaval in an email that she hasn’t committed any tax dollars to the project. She said it is reasonable that the city would do a $200 million infrastructure deal for the A’s, as they did for the Raiders at the Coliseum in 2017. The deal would help cover costs for road and utility improvements.
In May, the Port Commission voted unanimously to approve a tentative exclusive negotiation agreement for the A’s that gives the baseball team four years to conclude an environmental impact report. The environmental impact report is expected to be completed by the end of the year, and then presented to the City Council and the port commission by early 2020. Kaval said the team hopes to be playing at the new stadium at Howard Terminal by 2023.