Tag: Pacific Merchant Shipping Association

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: New Lawsuit Against Howard Terminal

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Mr. Mike Jacob (in photo), vice president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association which represents port workers, said the San Francisco Bay Area Conservation and Development commission failed to properly evaluate the impacts of the project before they voted in favor of the A’s request. (photo from pmsaship.com)

New Lawsuit Against Howard Terminal

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–This June the San Francisco Bay Area Conservation and Development approved the Howard Terminal project, ruling it will not negatively affect the Port of Oakland Operations.

Now the group of Port operators and trucking disagree with the June ruling claiming the commission did not adequately assess the environmental impact of the project as mandatory by law.

In a recent statement Mr. Mike Jacob, vice president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association which represents port workers, said the San Francisco Bay Area Conservation and Development commission failed to properly evaluate the impacts of the project before they voted in favor of the A’s request. Mr.Jacob claims the commission should have allowed their advisory group to do further analysis on their recommendation prior to taking a vote.

How many lawsuits now?

Three (including this one) of the legal opposition to the project is coming from an argument that the project has not received the proper level of analysis about the environmental impact. That is the key to this most recent lawsuit. According to the law, all these lawsuits need to be decided within 270 days of the lawsuit being filed. The opposition to Howard Terminal is basically claiming that not enough environmental studies have been done and that more is needed.

How do the courts consider this lawsuit? Depends on how the courts interpret an evaluation of the economic impact of the project.

This November 8 the elections for Mayor and other positions in the Oakland government. Do not be surprised if we still talking about the Howard Terminal project by then.

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

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: The Oakland to Las Vegas Shuttle

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Artists rendition of the inside of a retractable roofed Las Vegas Oakland A’s stadium as A’s vice president David Kaval and A’s front office staff returned from a visit to Vegas finalizing sites for the A’s in event they don’t get the Howard Terminal project (Artist rendition image from bleedcubbieblue.com)

The Oakland To Las Vegas Shuttle

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–Dave Kaval, President of the Oakland A’s was in Las Vegas last week for meeting with area landowners. The A’s down to two possible locations, and Kaval said the hopes of announcing a final site soon. 

Steve Hill, CEO and President of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said that although a room tax is off the table, there are other means that could benefit the A’s if the team relocates to Las Vegas. Public assistance could be made available to help lure the team to Sin City.

Mr.Kaval has been made aware as he met with Mr.Hill, but the A’s, they do not want to negotiate in public.   Earlier this month, the A’s had a list of five possible ballpark sites, so the elimination of three indicates the process could wrap up soon.

What’s new for Las Vegas -The possibility of public assistance made available is important since throughout the year most state and local politicians seem to oppose using public money to help fund the A’s ballpark. But know, a change of strategy.

On deck- June 30 a key vote by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission which would allow the project to proceed. If this vote doesn’t get the approval, Oakland is basically out of gas. If it gets a positive vote, the next step is for the city of Oakland to come to terms with the Oakland A’s on a development agreement.

How about the lawsuits?  On April 4, 2022. Three separate lawsuits were filed in Alameda County Superior Court by Union Pacific Railroad, The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority and a coalition that includes the East Oakland Stadium Alliance, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, Harbor Trucking Association, California Trucking Association, metal-shredding company Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc., and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.  The City of Oakland and the Oakland A’s are listed as defendants.

California State law: Under AB 734 which was authored by former Assemblyman Rob Bonta, who is now the state attorney general, any lawsuits challenging the environmental impact report would have to be decided within 270 days of the report getting approved.

That puts the court process on a timeline of nine months from now, or January 2023.

Meanwhile, the Oakland to Las Vegas Shuttle continues…

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s environmental report for Jack London Square ballpark released: City of Oakland goal park to be a destination

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Oakland A’s team president David Kaval stands by the glass door at the Oakland Coliseum. Kaval  hopes if everything works out the construction of the A’s new park at Howard Terminal at Jack London Square should break ground by 2023 (file photo from the San Francisco Chronicle)

By Jerry Feitelberg and Joe Hawkes (SRS staff writers)

OAKLAND–The City of Oakland released an environmental impact report on Friday that proposes a new state of the art stadium for the Oakland A’s on the waterfront site at Howard Terminal. The new park would included 35,000 seats, 3,000 units of residential condos, housing, apartments, office working space consisting of 1.5 million feet and retail business space of 270,000 feet.

The A’s who have offices at Jack London Square will move the rest of their operations from their offices at the Oakland Coliseum to Jack London Square when the park is ready. The city said that they had envisioned big plans and ideas for the waterfront site and to convert it into a neighborhood for living, shopping, entertainment, and the A’s new park.

This is the A’s second attempt to get a park built in downtown Oakland their first attempt was at the Laney College location located at Lake Merritt but that was shot down after the college’s faculty staff objected to the A’s building a stadium at the site and it would disrupt business and traffic.

The A’s are now seeking the Howard Terminal site this time they have the city behind them on this project not to mention the 2018 legislation bill AB734 which the legislature passed which requires all complaints against the construction of the new park be filed under 270 days.

If the A’s can not move to Howard Terminal it had been suggested that the A’s could stay at the Oakland Coliseum location but the A’s and Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred are all in for moving to Howard Terminal and that the Coliseum location for a new park is not an option.

Kaval said that he was pleased about getting the environmental impact report out and looked at it as a step forward towards getting started on the new Howard Terminal ballpark “We are really excited to get our draft out there, and to advance the project forward so it can be voted on by the City Council this year, which is really our key goal.”

Opponents to the new park have stated that traffic, parking, poor transit access are some of the issues that dockworkers and maritime residents have said they are concerned about. The port is concerned about conducting their business while their are ball games taking place, traffic from retail, restaurants, and housing residents.

Stadium opponents spokesman Mike Jacob vice president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association said “that Oakland’s working waterfront is no place for a stadium, office and luxury condominium complex at this location.”

Jerry Feitelberg is an Oakland A’s beat reporter and Joe Hawkes is a news contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com