Giants owner Lurie loses stadium vote once again
This story was originally published on June 3, 1992.
Now where?
San Jose voters’ rejection of Measure G on Tuesday leaves the oft-jilted Giants with few viable alternatives.
Owner Bob Lurie has said the Giants won’t play at Candlestick Park beyond the expiration of their lease in 1994. San Francisco Supervisor Angela Alioto has put together a proposal to build a ballpark at Seventh and Townsend, but it might include a user’s tax requiring voter approval from a city that has rejected them twice. And though there are several cities outside the Bay Area that covet the Giants, each brings its own set of problems.
Lurie was unavailable for comment Wednesday and is unlikely to reach any conclusions soon. He’ll attend baseball owners’ meetings next week in New York and is expected to meet there with commissioner Fay Vincent and National League president Bill White. After that, he has a two-week vacation planned.
Alioto called a meeting of the San Francisco baseball advisory committee for tonight. She hopes to put an
initiative on the November ballot to build a downtown stadium that would cost $130 million to $160 million and would receive roughly half of its funding from the private sector.
“Losing the Giants,” she said, “would be like losing the opera, the ballet and the symphony.”
The most attractive of the cities hoping to lure a major league team might be unavailable. Officials hoping to bring baseball to St. Petersburg, Florida, recognize that American League owners might reject any ef- fort to move a second NL team into Florida. A Miamibased expansion team, the Florida Marlins, will begin play in the NL next season.
For that reason, the Tampa-St. Petersburg effort will continue to concentrate on bringing the Seattle Mariners franchise to the Florida SunCoast Dome, a stadium built on the hope of luring a major league team. The Chicago White Sox nearly moved there in 1988. Last year, the NL expansion committee bypassed the area for teams in Miami and Denver.
“It’s sort of our Field of Dreams: If we build it, they will come. Well, we’ve been waiting,” said St. Petersburg spokesman Jack Critchfield. “We haven’t given up on the Mariners yet. We feel obliged to see that to an end before we pursue something else.”
The Mariners’ proposed $125-million sale to a Japanese-led group has been stalled by baseball’s request that the Mariners and King County waive the right to sue if the sale is rejected. If the Mariners stay put, the St. Petersburg contingent believes it can put together a package that would be attractive to Lurie.
“If you want partners, we have partners. If they want to sell the club outright, they can sell it outright.
We’re prepared for any combination,” said Rick Dodge, assistant city manager.
In San Francisco, Alioto believes she can put together a proposal that would require minimal taxpayers’ money, if any. Her proposal asks Lurie to chip in $35 million, the amount he planned to spend on a San Jose stadium, and counts on raising at least $40 million from private sources. She believes even more could be raised, and it may have to be. She said Mayor Frank Jordan has indicated he doesn’t want the proposal to go to a ballot.
“I think I could do it without a user’s tax,” she said, “but I’m not going to fool the public by saying no user’s tax.”
In April, the Santa Clara City Council sent the Giants a plan that called for the city to raise $20 million of “community funds”
toward a $152 million stadium if San Jose defeated a stadium proposal. The Giants said they weren’t interested, but Councilwoman Sue Lasher said the plan remains open for discussion if Lurie is willing. Alternatives?
San Jose’s rejection of Measure G throws the Giants’ future up in the air. Many cities covet the Giants, but there’s something wrong with each of them.
• SAN FRANCISCO: Stadium proposal could lead to city’s third rejection of Giants.
• ST. PETERSBURG.: American League would probably block move.
• WASHINGTON: Only 40 miles from Baltimore, which is selling out in new stadium.
• BUFFALO, N.Y.: Located in Buffalo; on plus side, Triple-A team annually draws a million.
• PHOENIX: Too hot; missed National League’s first expansion cut.
•VANCOUVER, British Columbia: Also missed NL’s first cut.
• INDIANAPOLIS: Lacks stadium and organized effort.