Artists rendition of the Howard Terminal ballpark the Oakland A’s are seeking to build. The East Oakland Alliance is suing the City of Oakland and other defendants in their fight to keep the A’s at the Coliseum location in East Oakland (AP News photo)

No April Fool’s Joke: New Lawsuit Filed against the A’s Howard Terminal

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–It was no April Fool’s joke. Today, April 1, 2022 a new lawsuit against the Oakland A’s and the building of their proposed new Howard Terminal Ballpark took another hit. This lawsuit was filed by the East Oakland Alliance, which wants the Oakland A’s to stay in Oakland but build the new ballpark in the current Coliseum location.

MLB does not approve the building of the new park at the actual location that is a no-go. The East Oakland Alliance is among the entities this time suing the team and the city of Oakland, together with shipping, steel, and port groups also suing.

Their spokesman says the A’s and city did not adequately disclose the negative effect the project will have on the existing waterfront operations and surrounding areas, among other things. A’s President Dave Kaval rejected those claims saying a new ballpark at Howard Terminal would be better for the environment and people in the Bay Area.

Back in February 2021, the A’s cleared a legal hurdle in their quest for the new ballpark at Howard Terminal, most recently this year the news was encouraging as the A’s received positive votes toward their ultimate goal of the $12 billion project, Oakland Howard Terminal.

But today another step backwards. The problem? Well, the ‘clock is ticking’. These groups that opposed the Howard Terminal project keep throwing grenades at the A’s and things (when they look like they’re moving along) they stall.

Major League Baseball Commissioner, Rob Manfred Jr. expects a yes or no (Oakland or Las Vegas) a final decision by summer 2022. In the meantime, the A’s continue to work with Las Vegas, in what Dave Kaval has called for a year now: “working on different parallels, with the same goal of a new ballpark for the A’s.”… by the bay or by the desert.

This was the statement today by the groups opposed to the Howard Terminal project:

“The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) certified by the City of Oakland for the Oakland A’s’ proposed project at Howard Terminal did not adequately disclose, analyze, or mitigate all of the significant adverse impacts this massive and disruptive redevelopment on the working waterfront will cause.

Every EIR is required to provide an objective and thorough analysis of impacts, alternatives, and mitigation measures under California law, but the City’s EIR and environmental process failed to meet this mandate.

The A’s proposal to build a stadium and luxury condominiums, office and retail development will cause major disruptions and impacts to both the surrounding community and the operations of the Port, yet the EIR did not fully address these concerns or mitigate these well-known issues.

It also failed to accurately compare the Oakland Coliseum site as an alternative which would have far less adverse effects. It is simply not proper to ignore or defer analysis or mitigation of so many of the significant impacts identified in the more than 400 comments submitted by community and supply chain stakeholders, and as a result our only alternative is to pursue legal recourse.” 

Mike Jacob — East Oakland Stadium Alliance

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish lead play by play announcer on flagship station 1010 KIQI Le Grande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com