Tag: SB1

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

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

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

Athletics podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s claim they have their share of construction costs for Vegas ballpark

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sandy Dean Athletics president has said all along the A’s would come up with the funding for their share of the Las Vegas ballpark on the Las Vegas strip which is expected to open baseball season 2028 (LV Sports Biz file photo)

On the Athletics podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 The Athletics are saying they have the $350 million coming from SB1 and the State of Nevada and $300 million from Goldman Sachs and US Bank.

#2 One of the requirements are that the A’s have to spend $100 million of their own money before they can touch any of the public funds from Nevada.

#3 The A’s have spent $40 million of the designer process so far the site selection and the A’s stadium will occupy nine acres of the 35 acre Tropicana casino and resort which should be ready by opening day 2028.

#4 The A’s will be sharing the space with Bally’s Mega Corp where the rolling of the dice and slot machines will be a baseballs throw away.

#5 The A’s have submitted their land use permit has been filed. The A’s have officially submitted their land use permit to Clark County. Which is important in getting construction underway.

A’s Relocation podcasts can be heard each Sunday with Daniel Dullum at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Memories shared as A’s play last two months at Coliseum; A’s say they can finance Vegas park but where is the money?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Oakland Coliseum at twilight as the Oakland A’s will play their final two months (August-September 2024) at the Coliseum before moving into their temporary home at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento for the 2025 season. (file photo by the Las Vegas Review Journal)

On the Oakland A’s Relocation podcast:

#1 Daniel, final two months for the A’s playing in the Oakland Coliseum since 1968. As the final date of Sep 26th comes closer it’s hard to believe after over 50 years the A’s will no longer occupy the Coliseum.

#2 In the course of the wind down of the Coliseum the A’s will be sharing lots of memories from their years of winning three straight World Series from 1972-74, going to the World Series three years in a row from 1988-1990 and winning the 1989 World Series.

#3 One of the big memories is when the A’s won 20 straight ball games which was part of a movie Money Ball starring Brad Pitt as A’s general manager Billy Beane.

#4 The latest was that A’s owner John Fisher’s business partner Sandy Dean said that the A’s are working on securing funding which would amount to $500 million for Fisher’s share. Fisher had been trying to secure the funding since the MLB owners last December voted to move the A’s to Vegas. Fisher has until December 2024 to finance his end of the construction costs or the SB1 bill that publicly finances the park will be dead. Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc. and Bally’s have taken a leading role in making sure the stadium will be built. It’s yet to be seen as Fisher needs to come up with the construction financing.

#5 In talking with employees who work at the Oakland Coliseum most have not heard from A’s management about what their futures will be like be it contractors or A’s employees regarding work in Sacramento next season. Most likely the Sacramento Rivercats will be deciding a great portion of how the front office will be handled since it will save Fisher money on paying employees.

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

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Schools over Stadiums turned down in Nevada Supreme Court; A’s $1.5 billion Vegas ballpark funding murkier

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The locked, closed and unused Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas which was closed on Apr 2, 2024 and is the proposed site for the Oakland A’s new ballpark. photo by Sports Radio Service on Apr 8, 2024.

On That’s Amaury podcast:

#1 Amaury, the Nevada Supreme Court rejected Schools over Stadium ballot referendum that would have approved petition language that would reject SB1 the use of public funds at the tune of $380 million for the November 2024 election.

#2 The A’s who hired a Los Angeles investor to help them find minority partners to invest shares into the team and help pay for the construction costs for the Las Vegas ballpark has so far not panned out any new news in finding partners.

#3 Also Bally’s where the Tropicana Hotel waits to be imploded in April 2025 needs to determine where they want to put the nine acre park on the 36 acre location at Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd. At first it was thought the park would be location on the back corner from the strip but now Bally’s or the A’s are not really sure where their going to put the ballpark.

#4 Schools over Stadiums who were rejected for the second time to get language to reject the public funding of the ballpark will attempt to appeal again. Schools over Stadiums released a statement after the Supreme Court denied the application for petition language, “Schools Over Stadiums remains committed to stopping Nevada tax dollars from paying for a stadium for a California billionaire, and we are disappointed Nevada voters will not have their say in 2024. With this guidance, Schools Over Stadiums plans to refile our petition next year and win in 2026. Nevada voters deserve the opportunity to decide where their money goes.”

#5 Meanwhile the A’s who will be playing their 2025-27 seasons at Sutter Health Ballpark in Sacramento are working with Sacramento Rivercats owner Vivek Ranadive. Ranadive who is anticipating that the Las Vegas deal will fall through and will get on board with John Fisher and the A’s to help build a ballpark and keep the A’s in Sacramento permanently that has yet to be determined.

#6 African American Sports and Entertainment wanted to join forces with the A’s at one time to keep the A’s in Oakland and help buy a share in the team and buy the Oakland Coliseum location and turn it into a sports and entertainment complex. John Fisher has been very silent on all these moving parts.

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

#1

Oakland A’s relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: Appeals courts grappling to make decision on Schools over Stadiums petition

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Outside view on Fri Apr 5, 2024 of what will be the permanent home of the Las Vegas A’s on opening day April 2028 at the Tropicana Hotel that was closed down on Apr 2, 2024. Schools over Stadiums are attempting to put together a petition that will try and stop SB1 public funding for the A’s Tropicana ballpark (photo by Sports Radio Service Staff)

On the A’s relocation podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, Schools over Stadiums is in the Nevada State of Appeals Court trying to get the language for a petition drive to get an initiative on the state November ballot to stop SB1 public funding for the Tropicana ballpark for the A’s. In appeals court on Wednesday Schools over Stadiums remarks to the court were “John Fisher does not pay his lawyer because he cares about the finer points of constitutional law in Nevada…” and “What this has been about from the beginning is delay, driving up our bills, and keeping this off the ballot.”

#2 NBC reported that Schools over Stadiums also said in court on Wednesday that polling results from Jackson County MO an Emerson Poll show that 52% say no to the public funding and 32% say yes that “a majority of Las Vegas voters oppose public money going towards a baseball stadium for the A’s, taxpayers should have the opportunity to vote on where this public money goes.”

#3 Also reported when the A’s president David Kaval turned down the Oakland Coliseum’s five year $97 million offer Kaval said it was above market rate and Oakland Mayor Chief of Staff Leigh Hanson countered saying while the deal was above market rate the city is not receiving parking revenue from the Coliseum, the city gets no cut from concessions from food or beverages and is only getting a small share of the ticket revenue. Kaval then said “this isn’t going to work for us.” Hanson said this isn’t about getting the cheapest deal for you but what is going to work for the city.

#4 Daniel, the national media has been working on this story about Schools over Stadiums being in the Nevada Court of Appeals and there is an indication that if allowed by the court to put the language on the petition drive it could spell trouble for the A’s financing for the Tropicana ballpark could it force John Fisher and David Kaval to possibly return to the table with the City of Oakland or hatch a deal with Sacramento. There could be a legal fight to try and keep the A’s in Oakland that’s a ways down the road right now.

#5 June 1st is the due date to have 102,000 signatures in from the petition drive. The language on how a ballot initiative will read to stop SB1 the decision will rest in the hands of a seven member Supreme Court. Lawyers from both sides of the argument from the labor union arguing this measure will prevent jobs and have an economic impact on Las Vegas and Nevada. Schools over Stadiums lawyers argued that being the 48th state in education and 49th in class room sizes the $380 million of public money going to a stadium should be going to education and the time is critical to get the petition started.

#6 Daniel, deputy executive director of government relations for the NSEA Chris Daly said that time is running out that once the court is to approve the legal language for the ballot initiative that gives Schools over Stadiums just less than 75 days to get these petitions printed and petition gatherers on the ground and start seeking over 102,000 signatures.

Daniel Dullum does the Oakland A’s Relocation podcasts each Friday 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

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

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