Tag: Dawn Etcheverry

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s lobbyists suing Schools over Stadiums for blocking Vegas ballpark public funding

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Las Vegas Tropicana Hotel and Resort Park renderings. The Park is expected to be ready for the 2028 season upon approval by the MLB owner relocation vote in mid November. If the Schools over Stadiums initiative makes the ballot and is voted down in Nov 2025 shovels could be in the ground as soon as Dec 2025. If it doesn’t make the ballot or A’s lobbyists win their lawsuit to stop the ballot measure shovels could be in the ground as soon as Jan 2025 (renderings from the Oakland A’s)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, Schools over Stadiums is being sued by Oakland A’s representatives for trying to put a measure on the ballot to stop the use of public funds that will go towards a Las Vegas Tropicana ballpark to the tune of $380 million.

#2 Schools over Stadium are seeking repeals of the State of Nevada’s funding to build the A’s Tropicana ballpark on the Las Vegas strip. Nevada is 49th in the US in education. During the Nevada Legislative special session where the A’s were awarded the $380 million public funding education was left out of the budget in June, Schools over Stadiums seeks to block the funds for the ballpark.

#3 The teachers group says that the state should have invested public monies for education and not a baseball stadium. At the time Schools over Stadiums were considering launching the petition drive critics of the petition drive said it would not impact they’re plans to move ahead to fund a ballpark in Vegas but now they are filing the lawsuit to try and block the potential ballot measure. If the A’s representatives weren’t so concerned before why be concerned now?

#4 Plaintiffs Danny Thompson and David Morely who filed the lawsuit in First District Court in Carson City against Schools over Stadiums because language in Senate Bill 1 are only in portions, the petition is invalid, the plaintiffs want the Nevada Secretary of State to block the measure from getting on the Nov 2025 ballot, block Schools over Stadiums from circulating the petition for signatures, and invalidate any signatures that have been collected.

#5 Defendants named in the lawsuit Schools Over Stadiums, its officers Dawn Etcheverry, Chris Daly and Andrea DeMichieli, and Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar in his official capacity. Chris Daly is a former San Francisco Board of Supervisor and is familiar with the Bay Area landscape and can explain how a move by the A’s to Las Vegas would have a tremendous economic impact Oakland and the greater East Bay.

Daniel Dullum will continue his Oakland A’s podcasts regarding the MLB relocation of the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Lawsuit filed against Nevada Schools Over Stadiums; A’s lobbyists say educators leave out crucial information on petition measure

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Laborers Union Local 872 retired political director of Laborers Thomas Morely is one of the plaintiffs who filed a challenge in First District Court of Carson City challenging Schools over Stadiums from putting an initiative on the Nevada ballot to stop public funding of the Tropicana Hotel Ballpark for the Oakland A’s. If Schools over Stadiums get enough signatures in four Nevada districts the measure would go on the ballot Nov 2025. A no vote against funding the ballpark with public money would stop the ballpark funding unless the A’s can raise the money privately. (photo from Laborers International Union 872)

Lawsuit filed against Nevada School Over Stadium

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

ByAmaury Pi-González

A Lawsuit by two labor leaders in Nevada challenges the Nevada teacher union-led PAC “School Over Stadium.” A petition to repeal public funding for the new proposed stadium for the Oakland A’s in Las Vegas. Who filed it? Once the head of the Nevada AFL-CIO, Danny Thompson was joined by Thomas Morley, a retired political director of Laborers Local 872.

Morley is currently a private consultant. The filing took place in the 1st District Court in Carson City, the capital of the State of Nevada, where all legal challenges are filed. Oakland A’s representatives deferred comment to the attorney working on the case.

According to The Independent of Nevada, Bradley Schrager represented a broad, emerging coalition of business and labor interests. The Oakland A’s are part of that coalition, according to Mr.Schrager, who said, “SB1 passed with majorities in both houses,” referring to the bill that authorized public financing to help the A’s construct a 33,000-seat ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip. “The governor approved it, so it’s no surprise that support exists.”

The lawsuit argues that the School Over Stadiums petition “doesn’t include the full text of the proposal as required by Nevada State Constitution and alleges the referendum is “inaccurate, misleading and argumentative, and therefore is legally inadequate and does not meet the requirement of Nevada State law.”

This is a battle between the educators in Nevada (not all but the School Over Stadium group) vs. Labor and Business interests in Nevada. Organized labor backed the A’s when the bill was before the Legislature. The Southern Nevada Building Trades has a project labor agreement with A’s for the ballpark construction.

Culinary Workers Local 226 has an agreement with the team to organize workers at the stadium once it opens. The A’s were also the main sponsors of the Nevada AFL-CIO Convention in August at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno.

The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 is the largest labor union in Nevada and alongside the Bartenders Union Local 165, represents 60,000 guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry and kitchen workers statewide in Nevada.

This is very interesting, schools are very important any place in the country, but Nevada is the one place in the US where the hospitality business has ruled since Las Vegas was founded from the days of the first hotel resort, El Rancho Vegas, on the Las Vegas Strip in 1941, to this day.

Could the Schools over Stadiums group have been late to the party? The PAC behind the ballot measure was launched in June by the Nevada State Education Association following the approval of SB1. The Legislature approved the funding bill, and the A’s are waiting for Major League Baseball to vote for the team’s relocation request, which the Commissioner expects to take place this November, with the beginning of the construction of the new Las Vegas ballpark in early 2024.

In 2024, the American League schedule calls for the Oakland A’s to play their 81 home games at the Oakland Coliseum, where they have been playing since 1968. So what happens now? Who is going to win this? Only God knows when lawyers decide this type of stuff; if you do not understand it, you are not alone. Q:What do you get when you cross the Godfather with a lawyer? A: An offer you can’t understand.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Schools over Stadiums needs funding to get petitions signed in Nevada

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Former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and Port of Oakland Commissioner Michael Colbruno spoke at a fundraiser on Aug 26, 2023 to support Schools over Stadium Nevada initiative to stop use of public funds for an A’s new ballpark in Las Vegas and put funding for use towards schools and education (@MikeOpera photo)

On the A’s podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, Dawn Etcheverry, a music teacher and President of NSEA and Schools Over Stadiums in Nevada is moving on a petition referendum to stop the use of public funding tax dollars that would be used to build a ballpark at the Tropicana hotel and casino that was approved by the Nevada State Legislation in June in a special session.

#2 Etcheverry said the petition is pursuing every path possible to stop the use of public funding to pay for the Tropicana Park for a future Las Vegas A’s relocation. Etcheverry said that the Nevada voters were shutout in the process and didn’t have a say in the use of public funds for paying for the ballpark to the tune of $380 million.

#3 The organization Schools over Stadiums goal is to make sure public funding goes to public schools and not the Tropicana Park and once enough signatures are on the petitions from four the Nevada districts including Clark County which Las Vegas and Tropicana hotel are a part of the measure to stop using public money will be put on the ballot.

#4 If Nevadans vote to stop the use of public funds to build the Tropicana ball park succeeds the funding for the ballpark ceases and the A’s will have to seek private funding if they want to continue pursuing Las Vegas. They possibly could go back to the City of Oakland and negotiate terms about building at Howard Terminal.

#5 If everything goes as planned Schools over Stadiums will have the vote in November 2024, one year and two months from now. The MLB owners are voting on the A’s relocation in December. If the owners vote yes to relocate the A’s, the Schools over Stadiums measure could hold up shovels in the ground at the Tropicana until the voters have their say in Nov 2024.

Daniel Dullum does the Oakland A’s podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s report: Schools over Stadiums files petition to get initiative on ballot to stop public funding for A’s Vegas ballpark

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Rendering of the Las Vegas Tropicana Hotel and Casino ballpark. If successful the ballpark is expected to be completed by 2028 upon the approval vote of MLB owners in Dec 2023. Schools over Stadiums is attempting to put a measure on the ballot stopping public funding of the Vegas ballpark that vote could take place in Nov 2024. (rendering from the Oakland A’s)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Schools over Stadium a group who is working with the Nevada State Education Association filed a referendum petition to get a measure on the ballot that would prevent public funds to pay for a new A’s ballpark at the Tropicana hotel and casino on the Las Vegas strip.

Dawn Etcheverry who is president of the NSEA and Schools over Stadiums and is a music teacher said that the organization is committed to pursue every possible path to stop the use of public funds to subsidize a new ballpark for owner John Fisher and the Oakland A’s.

Etcheverry raised the point that the people of Nevada did not have a say in the process during the Nevada State Legislature special session on public funds use for the ballpark. Etcheverry said that the priorities to use public funding for a stadium over schools and education in the state are misguided and that Nevada is 48th in the state on education should be priority for public funding rather than spending those funds on the Tropicana ballpark.

Etcheverry stated that the funds should go to Nevadans who depend on that money to go to public schools rather than the ballpark. Etcheverry pointed out that the 82nd Legislative session overlooked the overcrowding in classrooms in the state of Nevada, the lack of teachers, and the state has ignored streams of incomes for schools and public education.

If there are enough signatures on the petitions from the four Nevada districts which includes Clark County where the A’s plan to build at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas strip. The measure will be placed on the ballot and if the voters say no to public spending for the A’s new ballpark the A’s move to Las Vegas could be dead unless Fisher can find $380 million in private money for the Vegas ballpark.

Jerry Feitelberg is an Oakland A’s reporter for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Nevada Schools over Stadiums initiative could be last line of defense to save A’s in Oakland

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A benefit gathering to stop the use of Nevada public funds to build a Las Vegas A’s new stadium at the Tropicana and to get a referendum on the Nevada ballot to stop use of public funds for the ballpark. Members from Schools over Stadiums, the Oakland 68s, also former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan (in purple dress), and the Nevada State Education Association president Dawn Ectheverry to Quan’s right . (photo from @jeanquan)

On the A’s podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel the Nevada Schools over Stadiums group who are ran by the Nevada State Education Association. The NSEA held a fund raising benefit for Schools over Stadiums which included the Oakland 68s a Oakland A’s fan group who are pushing the green Sell shirts and for A’s owner John Fisher to sell the A’s to someone that will keep them in Oakland. The benefit included former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and NSEA president Dawn Etcheverry. The benefit was on Thu Aug 17 in Oakland.

#2 Quan said that she is confident that the referendum will have enough signatures to make it on the ballot for spring and the former mayor said that it has a good chance of winning.

#3 Etcheverry said some districts in Nevada are starting the school year with 40% or more in teacher vacancies. Nevada has the highest teacher vacancies in the nation and are number 49 in education.

#4 Former San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly said that despite state increases Nevada teachers remain amongst the lowest in the US with the largest class sizes.

#5 Schools over Stadiums are asking the public’s in help to fund the campaign to fight the Nevada State legislature who are planning to give the A’s $380 million in public funds for the Tropicana ballpark.

#6 The teachers from the NSEA, Mayor Quan, and the Oakland 68s will be at the Oakland Coliseum for the next reverse boycott this Sat Aug 19 vs. the Baltimore Orioles and they will be seeking the A’s fans support for the ballot initiative to stop the use of public funding for the Vegas ballpark over education.

Join Daniel Daniel Fridays for the Oakland A’s podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com