Oakland city leaders make final pitch to keep A's rooted in Oakland
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland City Council voted unanimously Tuesday approving a resolution that reaffirms its support for the Oakland Athletics and called on Major League Baseball owners to keep the team rooted in Oakland.
The resolution is seen as a final swing to fund and build a new stadium in the Town and prevent the A’s from moving to Las Vegas.
"This is our team," said Mayor Sheng Thao. "We are showing our good faith that we will work hard to keep our team rooted here."
Dozens of fans packed Oakland City Council chambers for a rally ahead of the council meeting. City leaders joined to show their solidarity.
It comes as MLB owners are scheduled to vote to approve a relocation proposal next week. The A’s intend to move the team from Oakland to Las Vegas.
Criticism has grown over ongoing controversy and legal challenges surrounding a new ballpark in Vegas.
The A’s need 75% of owners to vote "yes" on the proposal in order to make the move.
Thao called foul and said it’s important to preserve the A’s rich history spanning more than 55 years.
"Oakland has multiple sites. There are viable options," she said. "We continue to urge John Fisher to come back to the table and we have viable buyers should the team go up for sale."
Oakland leaders argue it can easily accommodate a new stadium project rapidly and said $428 million in grants has been secured.
"It will be cheaper to build here, it will be faster to build here," said Oakland city Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan. "And the fan base is stronger here."
Labor leaders are also concerned about adverse consequences of the team walking including hundreds of Coliseum workers losing their jobs.
The resolution aims to strike out the relocation proposal and reaffirm the city’s support for the team and its approval of financing and development plans to build a new stadium.
There are two approved ballpark locations including at the existing Coliseum site and the much anticipated Howard Terminal site at the Port of Oakland.
"We’re asking MLB owners to vote no against relocation, yes to expansion and we’re asking John Fisher to do the right thing – build or sell the team," said fan representative Jorge Leon with the Oakland 68s.
KTVU reached out to the Oakland A’s for comment but did not immediately hear back.
While the resolution is not binding, A’s fans hope this final swing will earn Oakland a home field advantage.
"We are the best fans in baseball and we don’t give up," said Leon. "Oakland never quits."
Brooks Jarosz is an investigative reporter for KTVU. Email him at brooks.jarosz@fox.com and follow him on Facebook and X @BrooksKTVU