Tag: Mayor Sheng Thao

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s fail to sell out opening home series; Vegas officials approve land permits for A’s ballpark

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Rendering of the A’s Las Vegas ballpark as shown during Mar 6, 2025 at the Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting (image by negativ)

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 The first three games at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento the Athletics didn’t sell out. The A’s were near the 14,014 capacity on Monday night’s opener with 12,119 but the were far from it on Tuesday with 10,000 plus and for a Wednesday day game when only 9,000 plus showed up.

#2 Some A’s fans that traveled from the Bay Area came up only to check out the new digs and stayed a few innings on Wednesday and left to go back to the Bay.

#3 The issue during the A’s opening home series against the Chicago Cubs was brought up as to whose to blame for the A’s relocation. Was it owner John Fisher’s fault as former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said at the time the city of Oakland and the A’s were so close to a deal at Howard Terminal and they just backed out saying they had a binding deal with the Rio in Las Vegas?

#4 Was it the fault of Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred who some say wanted the A’s out of Oakland and wanted the Bay Area to be a one team market rather than a two team market and could he have been influenced to move the team by the San Francisco Giants who would have the market all to themselves?

#5 On Wednesday the Clark County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the land permits for the A’s Las Vegas ballpark as the A’s move a step closer to beginning construction for their $1.75 billion ballpark. The A’s are hoping to have the park ready in Vegas by 2028.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Mayor of Oakland also leaving “a recall”

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao will be recalled by the voters of Oakland. Thao has served two years as Oakland Mayor. Voters have complained of high crime, homelessness is out of control, and her losing the Oakland A’s. Here she is addressing A’s fans at a City Hall meeting in her attempt to get a ballpark built at Howard Terminal at the time. Thao lost the A’s after raising the lease at the Oakland Coliseum when they wanted to play there until 2028 before moving to Las Vegas. The A’s turned down her offer and are playing in Sacramento in 2025.

Mayor of Oakland also leaving “a recall”

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao inherited a good situation when Mayor Libby Schaff left her term, and Thao started hers in 2023. At the time, the Oakland A’s were in a good position with the possibility of the A’s ownership building the new $1.5 billion ballpark in Oakland.

Back then, even Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke positively about Mayor Schaff. Thao did not handle the negotiations with the A’s very well, and things deteriorated quickly. The citizens of the City of Oakland started a campaign to recall the mayor.

Early in June of this year, a big unexpected problem occurred when FBI agents conducted an early-morning raid on the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, looking for documents with a warrant under a corruption investigation.

This was news from coast to coast carried by most networks, and it was not a good look for Oakland’s leadership. It was a ‘punch in the gut’ for the reputation of Oakland. Even comedians were making fun of Oakland.

On November 5, election day, the recall measure was voted with 65% in favor. Mayor Thao will be leaving Oakland, just like the Athletics, not for Sacramento, but she is losing her job as the top executive in the city.

Sheng Thao is not leaving just because of the A’s departure but because of the high percentage of crime in her town that she could not correct. Many businesses have been vandalized multiple times, and some of them, like the famous burger chain “In N Out,” closed their restaurant on Hegenberger Road.

It was the first time the popular fast-food chain closed one of its franchises anyplace in the country because of crime. That is what “In N Out” corporate office released to the media after they took action.

Budget problems are under her leadership and missing a grant deadline did not help, and the high crime and negative press across the country were too much for her to survive (“In-N-Out currently has locations throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Colorado and Idaho)

According to the latest reports, as of Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Thao was trailing in the recall, 65% to 35%, and there is a likely outcome for her removal. It would be the first time this happened in Oakland in 100 years.

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Was Oakland Mayor Thao responsible for letting A’s get away?; Thao says it was Fisher and MLB’s fault; Ex-Mayor Schaaf endorses Thao’s recall

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao with 30 bound books to be delivered at the 2023 All Star Game in Seattle to the 30 different MLB owners showing that the City of Oakland and Oakland A’s did have a deal to develop at Howard Terminal and try to convince the owners that the A’s and the City can work a deal out to stay in Oakland. Later in the year December 2023 all 30 owners voted to move the A’s from Oakland to Las Vegas. (photo from ABC 7 News)

On Sacramento Kings Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Former two term elected Mayor of Oakland Libby Schaaf said this past week that since Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao hasn’t demonstrated that she couldn’t grow into the job these past two years, Schaaf has endorsed Thao’s recall which is on the Nov 5th ballot that Oaklanders will vote on next week Tuesday. One of the big issues in the Oakland sports community is how Mayor Thao lost the Oakland A’s.

#2The Mayor says it’s the fault of A’s owner John Fisher and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred saying that Oakland had a deal with the A’s to build at Howard Terminal and they were some $36 million apart.

#3 That’s not the only reason Schaaf is endorsing the recall but Schaaf when Mayor was working with Fisher and Manfred on getting a Howard Terminal deal and the feeling at that time before leaving office they were closing in on getting it done. Time ran out on Schaaf’s second and final term and she had to leave office. Thao took over and worked with Fisher on financing for the Howard Terminal ballpark but Thao said Fisher quit while the city and the A’s were $36 million apart and A’s president David Kaval said that the club had a binding deal at the Rio in Las Vegas.

#4 Thao went to the July 2023 All Star game in Seattle and had some 30 bound books that outlined that the City of Oakland did have a binding deal with the A’s as trying to prove that as opposed to Manfred saying there was no deal in Oakland he was incorrect and that the bounded books would show MLB owners there was a deal on the table and she tried to encourage them to vote against moving the A’s out of Oakland and to go back and negotiate a deal to stay in Oakland.

#5 As we all know now the team has left the barn and will start a new with the interim park in Sacramento starting 2025 until the Las Vegas park is open in 2028. There had been previous polling showing that Oakland voters are in favor of recalling Mayor Thao and that Schaaf has endorsed former member of the Oakland City Council Loren Taylor to be the Mayor in the event that Thao is recalled.

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

Oakland A’s Relocation podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Was raid designed to expedite Mayor Thao out of office before a recall election?

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao addresses the news media at Oakland City Hall on Mon Jun 24, 2024 regarding the raid on her Oakland home last week (photo from yahoo.com news)

On the Oakland A’s Relocation podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 Jerry, the last thought on Mayor Sheng Thao’s mind right now are the departure of the Oakland A’s who leave for Sacramento after this season. Thao whose home was raided last week has given two press conferences since the raid.

#2 Jerry, Mayor Thao who faces a recall, how much of the reasons for the recall fall on her for losing the Oakland A’s besides the high crime, retail and businesses moving out of Oakland, and firing police chief LeRonne Armstrong at the beginning of her term.

#3 The Mayor through media reports has been accused of accepting illegal campaign donations from California Waste Solutions. The FBI confiscated ice chest size cases of documents from Thao’s home there’s always a chance they could find a document that ties her to accepting illegal campaign contributions but on the other hand it could amount to nothing. The Mayor has insisted that this is a waste of time and she said she did nothing wrong.

#4 On the surface of it with the recall and the state of the City of Oakland is this raid a further push to make the Mayor look bad and it would actually help push her out of office?

#5 Jerry, the Oakland Ballers the Pioneer Minor League team who before their season started wanted to play just one game at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Jun 29th for a special game. The Ballers sent out a press release on Thursday saying the A’s shot down that idea of using the Coliseum because there is a clause in the contract that the A’s have say so who they share the Coliseum with. The Ballers will not be permitted to play that one game there. Some say it might be an embarrassment to the A’s if the Ballers were to get over 25,000 fans to show up which is a lot more the A’s have drawn for a single game all season.

Jerry Feitelberg filled in for Daniel Dullum for the Oakland A’s Relocation podcasts heard each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: WNBA’s Clark and Reese pack the house; Oilers can make Stanley Cup Finals history; plus more news

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The Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese (left), Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (center), and the Los Angeles Sparks Cameron Brink (right) during the WNBA draft on Mon Apr 15, 2024. Reese and Clark have been big draws for the WNBA and Brink is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. (AP file photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 Charlie, this has been the year of the rookie in the WNBA and the league has never seen such coverage of their players starting with the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese who both have everyone even those who don’t follow the league that closely talking.

#2 The NHL Stanley Cup Finals could see it’s first team since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs come back down 0-3 and win it with four straight win if the Edmonton Oilers can pull it off on Monday night in Florida in game 7 against the Florida Panthers. The task would not only be historic but it’s a tall order if the Oilers can pull it off on Panthers ice.

#3 Charlie, the FBI raid on Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is just an added sad chapter to what is happening to Oakland as a city. Thao’s last interaction with the relocating Oakland A’s who leave after this season for Sacramento was when she and the Oakland Coliseum Joint Authority wanted $92 million for the A’s to play their remaining three years before they move to Las Vegas and Thao and the Coliseum ran the A’s away with the high rent ticket. When it rains it pours for the A’s and City of Oakland situation.

#4 Their known as the lovable losers the Chicago Cubs who had some success are back on hard times dead last in the National League East eight games back, four games below .500, the Cubs have lost six of their last ten games and open a four game series in San Francisco on Monday night. How has the Cubs demise surprised you?

#5 Three time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer will make his 2024 debut for the Texas Rangers today against the Kansas City Royals. Scherzer hasn’t pitched in a game since game 3 of last year’s World Series. In the off season he had to have lower back surgery, in rehab he had thumb soreness which doctors determined it was nerve issues that extended into his right triceps.

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: How much blame falls on Oakland Mayor Thao or A’s owner John Fisher in loss of A’s

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaks during the Oakland 68’s and the Last Dive Bar’s FanFest at Jack London Square Oakland back in March 2024. Thao is facing a recall from office as being organized by Oakland residents. (photo by the City of Oakland)

On Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 An Oakland poll that was taken asked if Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao should go and she got a 96.6 percent rating that asked if Mayor Thao should be recalled. Although Oakland residents blame Oakland A’s John Fisher for taking the A’s out of Oakland Thao is being blamed for a large part of losing the A’s.

#2 Thao and the City are also being blamed for not solidifying their negotiations in trying to bridge the gap to get the financing done to get a ballpark village at Howard Terminal. How much of the blame of losing the A’s will be part of Thao’s legacy?

#3 It’s very likely a recall to remove her from office will be in motion soon. Thao is being blamed for the high crime, retail closing and leaving, the high profile closure of In and Out Burger at the Airport Corridor, and the failure to negotiate an agreement with the A’s to keep them at the Coliseum for the interim for three years.

#4 Charlie, how much did the $92 million for three years offer by Oakland to keep the A’s at the Coliseum for interim while the park is being built in Las Vegas seem like a pie in the sky offer by Thao and the Oakland Coliseum Joint Authority?

#5. What really went wrong between Fisher and Thao in negotiations in terms of closing the deal at Howard Terminal?

Charlie O does Headline Sports podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg: A’s meet with Coliseum Joint Authority Apr 2; City and A’s looking at $97 million 5 year deal for Coliseum extension

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaking at the Oakland A’s fan reverse boycott at the Oakland Coliseum on Jun 13, 2023. Thao and the City of Oakland are willing to approve a three year lease extension to the A’s if they are willing to give up their team colors and history plus get an expansion team. Both the A’s brass and the City meet on Apr 2, 2024 to discuss a lease extension. (City of Oakland photo)

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg:

#1 Augie the Oakland A’s brass will be meeting with the Oakland Coliseum Joint Powers Authority on Tue April 2nd to discuss the A’s trying to extend their lease. They met one time before and it’s the A’s hope they can get a deal with the City of Oakland so they can play their final three years at the Coliseum.

#2 Sacramento has been reportedly the number two settling spot for interim for the A’s if an Oakland Coliseum deal can’t be worked out. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has said he would welcome the A’s and that Sacramento is ready to be a big league city.

#3 The A’s are hoping to make the Coliseum their final stomping grounds the A’s TV contract with NBC Sports California pays a very generous $70 million a season as long as the Athletics play in Oakland. We know that this is their first choice.

#4 The City of Oakland is making a big ask in order to allow the A’s to finish up at the Oakland Coliseum between 2025-27. The want the team colors and all the A’s history and they want an expansion team when the A’s leave two huge asks that most likely won’t be filled.

#5 The A’s best chance for staying in Oakland may rest with Schools over Stadiums a Nevada group who is trying to appeal to get a petition drive going needing some 102,000 signatures to get an initiative on the Nov 2024 ballot in Nevada to stop the public funding for the A’s Tropicana ballpark does that seem the only window that could stop the A’s from leaving Oakland.

Augie Mesenburg is a MLB podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com/Augie is a reporter for KHAI 103.2 FM Honolulu.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A’s owner John Fisher, spoke at Las Vegas event- -It is like the Groundhog Day movie; Fisher open to selling shares of team

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Mary Beth Sewald president/CEO of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce (left) and Oakland A’s owner John Fisher (right) sit down to discuss the A’s move to Las Vegas and all the ballpark intangibles at the Fontainebleau Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Wed Jan 24, 2024 (photo by Nevada Independent)

A’s owner, John Fisher, spoke at the Las Vegas event– It is like the Groundhog Day movie

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The first public comments by A’s owner, John Fisher, were made on Wednesday in Las Vegas. He said he would like local Las Vegas investors to help him pay for the $1.5 billion A’s stadium at the Tropicana hotel-casino location on the Strip. Fisher spoke for about 20 minutes at the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce event. He wants to find local capital for the stadium in Las Vegas as a way of engaging his new city.

He said about the Las Vegas park renderings: “We’ll release our renderings when you know when it’s the right time to do so,” Fisher said.

Speaking about the funding: “That will be funded mostly with equity from my family,” Fisher said. “We would like to consider raising capital, especially from local investors. That creates a connection to the community, and we’ve seen that with many other teams become a successful thing.”

Meanwhile, back in Planet Oakland, Mayor Shen Thao’s office told the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “When the Athletics leave the Bay Area ahead of the team’s planned Las Vegas relocation, they won’t be missed.” The mayor’s office also responded to whether they have discussed extending the team’s Oakland Coliseum lease past its expiration date at the end of the 2024 season.

Leigh Hanson, Mayor Thao’s chief of staff, said no and then ripped into the club. According to the Review-Journal, Mr. Hanson added; “To date, they have not contacted or requested an extension to their lease from the Mayor, Alameda County, the joint powers agency that oversees the Coliseum, and perhaps most notably from the fans.”

The situation in Oakland is not a pretty one when businesses close because of a spike in crime as they continue to make news nationwide, not how they wanted. As a matter of fact, the A’s story is not as crucial for the city of Oakland as the current situation, where some Council Members are now asking the Mayor to declare a State of Emergency.

When a profitable In ‘n Out Burger restaurant announces they are leaving Oakland because of too much crime in their parking lot, the Mayor has a bigger problem than the baseball team.

From Amaury’s desk: This whole story is extremely close to the script of the 1993 Hollywood film: “Groundhog Day” where a cynical television weatherman relives the said day repeatedly. Actor Bill Murray’s predicament drives him to distraction until he sees a way of turning the situation to his advantage. Las Vegas has become Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

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

Mayor Thao, A’s Fans and City of Oakland make statement at spirited press conference

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao addressed the media and Oakland A’s fans during a presentation to keep the team in Oakland effort at Oakland City Hall on Tue Nov 7, 2023 (photo by Stephen Ruderman Sports Radio Service)

By Stephen Ruderman

OAKLAND–Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao was joined by Oakland City Council members, members of the Howard Terminal Commission and members of the Oakland 68s with numerous Oakland A’s fans in attendance for an impassioned press conference at City Hall in Oakland, in which everybody made clear that the A’s belong in Oakland.

The press conference took place, as the owners are set to vote on Nov. 14 for the potential relocation of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas. Numerous A’s fans came out to City Hall to fight to keep the team that has been one of the biggest parts of their lives.

“The only thing I can do to help save the team is make my voice heard as loud as possible,” said A’s fan, Rick Grijalva. “Ditto,” said A’s fan and Grijalva’s uncle, Greg Debois.

After initially gathering at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, fans made their way inside to the City Council Chamber, where chants of “STAY IN OAKLAND” rang throughout the chamber for three minutes, as Mayor Sheng Thao made her way to the podium.

“Are we all pissed?” asked Thao to kick off the press conference, perfectly capturing the mood of almost everybody in attendance.

Mayor Thao highlighted an agreement between the A’s and the Howard Terminal Commission, as well as a written commitment by A’s Principal Owner John Fisher in 2018 to stay in Oakland. Thao even went as far as to meet personally with Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred in Seattle on July 11, two days before the All-Star Game was played there.

It seemed like more of a rally than a press conference, as Mayor Thao repeatedly encouraged the owners to vote no next week. Thao did not mince words, and she came out firing.

“We are all sick and tired of this uncertainty,” said Thao. “I hope that John Fisher and Dave Kaval are also sick and tired of their uncertainty.

Thao was livid, and she had every reason to be livid. Despite progress in negotiations for a new ballpark at the Howard Terminal in Jack London Square, the A’s were granted permission from Major League Baseball to explore relocation on May 11, 2021.

On April 19, the A’s abruptly ended their negotiations with the City of Oakland for a new ballpark, and expressed their desire to move to Las Vegas. Following years of prolonged ballpark negotiations in Oakland and throughout the Bay Area, the A’s rushed to get a ballpark deal in Las Vegas.

Fisher and A’s President Dave Kaval first tried to jam through a 35,000-seat ballpark at the former site of the Wild Wild West Gambling Hall & Hotel at the beginning of May. After that failed, they set their sights on the Tropicana.

On May 27, renderings, which were later repealed to be fake, were released for a ballpark at the Tropicana site in an effort to jam a funding bill through the Nevada State Legislature. The bill passed in both houses on June 14, and was signed into law by Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo the next day.

None of this has deterred the fans. Starting with a reverse boycott at the Oakland Coliseum on June 13, fans have made their voices heard, as they have filled the Coliseum and other ballparks with chants of “SELL THE TEAM.”

A’s fans made their voices heard at the All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on July 11; and with Giants fans on Unite the Bay Night at Oracle Park in San Francisco on July 25. They also got chants of “SELL THE TIME to roar around Coors Field and Dodger Stadium

“If someone tells me one more time that the A’s can’t [fill] the Coliseum, just look at this [room],” said Thao. [It’s] a weekday, and look at all the green and gold in this room. “We were with them through the good years; through the bad years; through five different owners; through roster shakeups; and actual earthquakes,” Thao continued.

Oakland is a baseball town with a lot of history. The colorful A’s of old owner, Charlie Finley, won three-straight World Championships in 1972, 1973 and 1974. They won three-straight American League Pennants from 1988 to 1990, with a world championship in 1989. They went through three unique runs here in the 21st century, highlighted by the Moneyball A’s of the early-to-mid 2000s.

Stephen Ruderman is an Oakland A’s beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s relocation podcast: Mayor to present resolution on Howard Terminal at Tuesday press conference; Could it change owners vote for A’s relocation?

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Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has called for a press conference for Tue Nov 7, 2023 to present a resolution in an attempt to keep the A’s in Oakland. This presentation is in hopes that MLB owners would change their A’s relocation vote to a no vote on Nov 14-16 in Arlington. (Las Vegas Review Journal file photo)

On the A’s relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Former Oakland A’s executive Andy Dolich wrote his own commentary in the Mercury News telling MLB owners to vote no on the A’s move to Las Vegas and keep them in the sixth largest market in Oakland and go back and finish negotiating with the Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and the city of Oakland.

#2 Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, the Oakland City Council, and the Port of Oakland are holding a press conference on Tue Nov 7 at Oakland City Hall regarding a proposal to keep the A’s in Oakland. Although a deal and a plan is already worked out to relocate the A’s upon the MLB owner vote Nov 14-16th in Arlington. The City of Oakland could use litigation to stop MLB and the Oakland A’s from relocating the team if the City can get a deal to build a Howard Terminal ballpark and show they can produce financing to keep the team in Oakland.

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