Alameda County Forgets Oakland A's Land Deal Details, Coliseum JPA Protocol, In Bad Look - ATLNews

Alameda County Forgets Oakland A's Land Deal Details, Coliseum JPA Protocol, In Bad Look Once again the City of Oakland and the County of Alameda show they don't understand the real estate deals they and the Coliseum Joint Powers Authority make with professional sports organizations. In this case, it's the Oakland A's. The problem is the County of Alameda sold its part of the Oakland Coliseum land to the A's in 2016. But there was a provision that in what was considered an unlikely occurrence the A's relocated from Oakland, and it did not finish paying what was owed, it would have to pay that amount within 180 days. Well, the relocation announcement happened two Fridays ago, and so the clock started. Trouble is, the City and County forgot about it until this authors video on the subject was released two weeks ago. Then, the East Bay Times picked up this authors' story (but did not offer appropriate credit). Then the EBT author went to Alameda County Counsel Donna Ziglar, who strangely decided to talk to the EBT (rather than passing the matter to Coliseum JPA Executive Director Henry Gardner). And Ziglar then said the Oakland A's didn't have to pay anything because they didn't announce they were relocating. That was wrong, as everyone knows. But the matter did not stop there, because Alameda County Supervisor Dave Haubert decided it was his turn to avoid pointing the media to Coliseum JPA Executive Director Henry Gardner, and instead blurt out an answer. While Haubert was correct in saying that the A's had alread announced relocation, he did three things: made his County Council look bad, said that SF Chronicle's Scott Osler wrote “The county’s surprise bill collection may have important and positive ramifications for Oakland,” and that sentence proved Scott did not know the deal either, or it's true meaning, for that matter. First, the $45 million was no surprise to the A's because it was part of a predetermined payment schedule. Second, the A's are going to pay it because John Fisher and company know they can flip it. That's right: there's no contractual language stopping the A's from selling that land, and perhaps getting more for it. But John Fisher has stated he does not want to sell the land. Where Scott Osler is wrong is that Oakland's “stuck”. Only a politician would think that way, but a trained economic development officer would see it differently. Stay with me, here. This situation shows why Ziglar and Supervisor Haubert went out of protocol on a matter concerning the Oakland Coliseum, and thus should be for Henry Gardner to deal with. After all, he's the Coliseum JPA Executive Director. But in the screwy world of Oakland Politics, where elected officials act like they are there own governments within the government, a seasoned expert like Henry is routinely bipassed and the existence of the JPA is forgotten. Think about it: the Coliseum JPA regularly has meetings with developers regarding the use and disposition of its land, shouldn't that be the case here, with the A's? Of course. That it's not the case shows why the Coliseum, City, and County, lose sports teams: no one knows who to deal with. The Coliseum JPA Should Write An RFP For Coliseum City Land Development By The A's And AASEG Since the A's will most certainly be retaining the Coliseum land, the Coliseum JPA should ask the Oakand City Council to direct the City of Oakland's economic development department to issue a joint request for proposals from the Oakland A's and ASSEG working as master developer a team. Futher, the RFP would also be written to pave the way for the Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) the Coliseum JPA was contemplating. The objective would be the overall phased development of Coliseum City. How the A's want to play in that scenario is up to them. But if they sell, the organization that buys the land has to work within the Coliseum Area Specific Plan guidelines, and that means a sports and entertainment and residential mixed-use district. The point is, the City would realize the development it wants as opposed to waiting for the Oakland A's to make a decision. Oakland, Alameda County, and the JPA must show leadership in this matter, because the A's would appreciate it if they did.
via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmLZTtRvL6Q