Tag: Nevada State Assembly

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Schools over Stadiums says public money going to Hollywood studios; Schools over Studios protested funding at Nevada Assembly Committee Thursday

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Alexander Marks and Schools over Stadiums/Schools over Studios appeared at the Assembly Committee on Revenue on Thu Feb 27, 2025 to argue that $400 million of public money from SB238 to fund Hollywood Studios to do production in Nevada should be going to pubic schools. Marks had previously argued that SB1 funding for an Athletics Las Vegas stadium should go to public schools and not a ballpark. (file photo from google)

On the Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 In December Athletics team president Sandy Dean said that the A’s are in the early stages of getting construction organized with Clark County (Las Vegas) back on Dec 5th. As of yet there is no report that the A’s have come up with the $1.75 billion for their share of the construction costs for the Vegas ballpark.

#2 The A’s are looking for loan help from Goldman Sachs and US Bank and Dean was pretty definite that those loans will be coming to the rescue. Some in the media have now questioned it’s been past the deadline Dec 2024 set by the Nevada Assembly for SB1 funding at $380 million that would be triggered when the A’s come up with their share of the construction costs. Could there be doubts that maybe this money may not happen at all?

#3 Schools over Stadiums spokesman Alexander Marks who previously protested and litigated against the A’s Vegas ballpark. Schools over Stadiums are now trying to stop the Nevada Legislature from spending more public money with a new senate bill that would fund Hollywood Studios with AB238. The bill would provide $80 million in tax credits from 2028 to 2043 and require at least $400 million to be invested into Nevada. The cost to fund the Hollywood studios where all filming would be in Nevada would be $20 million more than what the state will be paying for the Las Vegas A’s ballpark.

#4 Schools over Stadiums also named Schools over Studio for fighting the Hollywood funding has two fronts to fight. Schools over Stadiums had a meeting Thursday at the Assembly Committee on Revenue to argue their case that public money that should go to schools and not go to pay for Hollywood Studios productions to the tune of $400 million plus getting 15 years of tax credits.

#5 Schools over Stadiums knows they’re efforts to stop the A’s Vegas ballpark looks almost nil if the A’s come up with their share of the construction costs for the park. Schools over Stadiums still needs 102,586 signatures from four districts in Southern Nevada to sign a petition that would put an initiative on the ballot to stop public funding for SB1 the A’s ballpark. That signature drive has not launched as of yet.

Daniel Dullum does the Athletics Relocation podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s are one step closer to Vegas; Nevada Assembly is thumbs up in second round of voting; Bill heads to Lombardo’s desk; Only owners can stop an Oakland move now

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During the Nevada State Legislature’s 35th Special Session the Assembly stood and applauded the NHL Stanley Cup Vegas Golden Knights on their NHL Stanley Cup Championship win on Wed Jun 14, 2023 later the Assembly would vote 25-15 in favor of SB1 to publicly fund a new Tropicana ballpark for the Las Vegas A’s (photo by the Nevada Independent)

By Jerry Feitelberg and Barbara Mason

The Nevada State Assembly voted on Wednesday 25-15 to move the second round of voting in two days to Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo’s office for his signature on SB1 the Tropicana Hotel and Casino ballpark which could start development with shovels in ground as soon as 2024 to be completed as late as 2029.

Public tax credits would go towards the construction of the park to the tune of $380 million. Governor Lombardo has made it clear that he would sign SB1 when it hits his desk being a proponent of the measure.

The bill passing Wednesday comes one week after Lombardo called for a special second session to vote on the ballpark. The state would put in $180 million for tax credits and the county would contribute $120 million. The bonds would be paid off from revenue from sales and tickets sales at the stadium. Clark County also will be chipping in another $25 million for infrastructure needs at the Tropicana site which is reported to be a nine acre space for the park.

Wednesday’s Assembly vote saw 15 Democrats to 10 Republican votes in favor of the measure. Assemblywoman Shannon Bilbray Axelrod said that she wanted to see $2.2 billion put into the Nevada education system (Nevada ranks 49th in education in the US) Axelrod said that without out of the box thinking education will be left behind.

Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch (D-Reno) was against the measure saying that it was a complete waste of money and did not support using public tax dollars to support a billionaire for a new stadium project. It took two weeks since the first Memorial Day vote that was put off and there were delays in Tuesday night’s Senate vote which passed 13-8 and Wednesday’s vote when lobbyists and representatives were trying to make deals to get the two houses to pass the bill.

Lombardo vetoed two bills early this month that was resurrected one for rail and monorail projects the other excess tax revenues from a homeless prevention fund. Sen. Edgar Flores (D-Las Vegas) and Sen. Fabian Doñate (D-Las Vegas) who were hold outs on SB1 but when the Monorail project and the homeless prevention fund made it in the budget Flores and Donate changed their votes in favor of the public tax for the park.

Barbara Mason and Jerry Fetielberg are Oakland A’s beat writers for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Oakland A’s Nevada Assembly vote could be razor close

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From left to right Jeremy Aguero, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Hill, and A’s President David Kaval, at the 35th Special Session of the Legislature regarding SB1 the $380 million in public funds for the Tropicana Ballpark in Las Vegas on Jun 7, 2023. The second special session reconvenes on Mon Jun 12, 2023 (Nevada Independent photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 The Nevada State Assembly are suppose to meet and vote today on SB1 the Tropicana ballpark initiative that will send the bill to the senate for another vote. Sources say that the votes are close the legislation were suppose to vote last Thursday but that vote was adjourned and now it’s supposed to be today.

#2 This is a second special session do you think the reason for the hold up on the vote is because some in the assembly are under pressure to get this bill through while other assembly people are holding out because they don’t want to vote for a $385 million bill that helps pay for a ballpark with public money?

#3 One of the other questions that has been weighing heavy was if the A’s were to get the Las Vegas ballpark they need to meet selling out every game plus concerts or shows at the Tropicana venue to meet the annual payments to pay for the ballpark. How big of an ask is to say that every game and every concert at the A’s Las Vegas ballpark needs to be sold out to meet the economic need?

#4 The issue of government involvement from Congresswoman Barbara Lee who represents Oakland and Alameda County the 12th Congressional District wrote a letter saying that she and many of her constituents are frustrated that MLB and the Oakland A’s failed to deal in good faith and that they had a deal with Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao that was almost ten percent complete.

#5 The A’s walked away saying they had a binding deal in Las Vegas fast forward they have moved again from the Wild Wild West location to the Tropicana location. Could congress make a move saying the A’s and MLB failed to let the process of the Howard Terminal deal works its way through but dropped the deal and took the offer in Vegas.

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

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s might not have enough votes to pass Nevada ballpark bill in the Assembly

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From left to right, Community Benefits Planning Consultant Yolanda King, Oakland A’s vice president Catherine Aker and A’s president David Kaval sit at a committee meeting regarding SB1 the public funding for the A’s ballpark at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino on Wed Jun 7, 2023 at the Nevada State Legislature in Carson City NV (photo from the Nevada Independent)

On the A’s podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, the Nevada State Assembly who were supposed to vote on Thursday on using public funds to tax credit the proposed Tropicana ballpark but once again the vote has been delayed and is expected to resume on Monday.

#2 Both members of the senate and assembly after haggling all day on SB1 have adjourned extending the special session. The Senate and Assembly had adjourned last Monday without an initial committee vote and no vote had taken place all of last week.

#3 Throughout the day at the Assembly Legislature assembly members and lawmakers were around with Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo who was signing bills. SB1 is still being debated as no decision and no vote as of yet. Democratic senators are looking for health care benefits for kids, food for the poor and elderly and school subsidies.

#4 Democrats who make up a majority of the Legislature 13-8 have expressed frustration over the lack of changes in the A’s ballpark bill Sen. Rochelle Nguyen (D-Las Vegas) said “To say I’m extremely disappointed that no work has been done on this bill over the past 10 days is an understatement.”

#5 Daniel, among some of the changes that Democratic lawmakers are pushing for is entertainment tax that would need to be applied at A’s home games. The NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights, the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces are exempt from the entertainment tax which would have been 9 percent. Also the A’s would need to make the same contributions like they had in Oakland to food banks in Las Vegas.

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

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Nevada Legislature takes vote tonight on A’s ballpark

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From left, lobbyists Alfredo Alonso and John Griffin, Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher, President Dave Kaval and lobbyist Jessica Ferrato inside the Legislature in Carson City on May 31, 2023. (Nevada Independent photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry the Nevada State Legislature met until midnight last night discussing the SB509 the public funds from the State to fund the possible Tropicana ballpark in Las Vegas. There are residents who voiced their opposition to the ballpark because they feel the A’s might not be the right team for Las Vegas and that maybe expansion or the Tampa Bay Rays might be a better option.

#2 Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has called his second special session to push for the Tropicana ballpark. The bill didn’t get pushed through on Monday night and had been in a second special session for the last two night Tuesday and Wednesday. As of midnight last night nothing has been decided. The Legislature will take a vote tonight on the ballpark bill where the future of the A’s moving to Las Vegas is on the line.

#3 A’s team president David Kaval was put in a spot when asked about the team paying and being obligated to pay the entertainment tax. Kaval was told by assemblyman questioning him that he was answering a direct question when Kaval said the A’s would pay the entertainment tax through profits from the ballpark but would not make a commitment.

#4 The fact that there still is no decision on the A’s Las Vegas ballpark and it’s Thursday does that basically say that Lombardo who wants a budget passed needs to get the ballpark through for this session and the legislature is trying to sell those who are opposed reasons to try and change their minds.

#5 Las Vegas residents who spoke at last night’s session emphasized that 81% of Las Vegas residents polled are against the Oakland A’s moving to Vegas and that John Fisher and David Kaval are not the right people to lead this campaign and that the legislature should vote no on funding the ballpark.

Join Jerry F for the Oakland A’s podcasts heard Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum: Special session possibly needed for A’s ballpark vote past Jun 5th deadline

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The possible future new home of the Las Vegas Athletics at the Tropicana Casino and Hotel as seen on May 9, 2023 (file photo Nevada Independent)

On the A’s podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Daniel there is talk now that some owners are against the Oakland A’s getting a free pass from being allowed not have to pay for the relocation fee to Vegas and it’s not sitting very well with the owners.

#2 One thing about not enforcing the relocation fee is that this might set a precedent for future moves in MLB and clubs will want that relocation fee waved.

#3 If MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred was to wave the relocation fee that might make a difference in how owners will vote and that might have them vote no on the A’s moving out of Oakland.

#4 Daniel in the event that the Nevada State Assembly votes no on public funding for the Tropicana ballpark at the tune of $395 million. $185 from the State of Nevada and Clark County $145 million. There has been talk that the A’s will seek other cities that will have them and not return to Oakland. That said the Mayor of Oakland Sheng Thao has said that she would take a phone call from the A’s if it doesn’t work out in Vegas.

#5 The Assembly met in Carson City as you know last Monday Memorial Day and it sounded very much like a favorable meeting for the new park but two items stand in the way the one we talked about at the top of the show with MLB owners possibly objecting to move the A’s because they don’t have to pay a relocation fee and the other public pressure on the Nevada Assembly showing in a recent poll that over 80% of Las Vegas residents are opposed to using public funds to pay for the park and 21% are in favor for using public funds for the park.

#6 Sacramento has also shown interest in the A’s moving to Northern California in the event that the Las Vegas deal falls through.

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