As the Athletics take steps toward relocating from Oakland to Las Vegas, the public is offering its two cents about the proposed stadium.
The public won’t actually vote on Nevada Senate Bill 509 -- the A’s official pitch for up to $380 million in public funding for the ballpark -- but citizens still are making sure their voices are heard.
As of Tuesday morning, SB509 has received 2,370 public opinion positions of which 78 percent oppose the bill and 20 percent support it. The “neutral” option has received zero selections so far.
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To be clear, anyone can submit their position on the bill, not just Nevada residents. So A’s fans from California and beyond also can weigh in.
Lawmakers, too, didn’t hold back during a six-plus-hour SB509 hearing that took place Monday by a joint committee of Senate and Assembly members.
"So, I’m just going it put it out there: I’m a no. Almost a hell no, so y’all have to get me to a yes, OK?" Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno told A’s representatives (h/t The Nevada Independent).
"The Golden Knights didn’t cost taxpayers a dime," Monroe-Moreno said. "They came here, and they came at a time when we were hurting as a state, and they became Nevada's team, Vegas' team. This is different. It’s kind of apples and oranges in that comparison."
Oakland Athletics
Las Vegas assemblywoman Michelle Gorelow didn’t specify how she would vote, but she did state that she received “a lot” of emails and social media pleas from the public asking her and her colleagues to vote no.
Reno assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch used the New York Yankees and Yankee Stadium as a reference to compare the direct public funding.
If approved, the A's have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana casino resort sits.
Assemblyman Howard Watts spit out a harsh comparison using the team and the resort.
“The Tropicana is the A’s of the Strip,” Watts said, taking aim at the A's MLB-worst 10-45 record.
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Lawmakers' disapproval was echoed by several members of the public which poured in for more than half an hour, with the financing aspect seemingly the biggest concern.
“Why is this a priority? Why can’t a billionaire do this on his own if it’s so innovative?” Alexander Marks, a lobbyist with the Nevada State Education Associated, said (h/t Las Vegas Review-Journal). “Nevada has the choice to adequately fund our schools or instead give tax dollars to California billionaires. Decisions reveal priorities. Educators are begging this body and state to prioritize them.”
Terri Shuman, a 64-year-old Las Vegas resident and longtime A's fan said she supports the team coming to Las Vegas, but not with public funds.
She would prefer the $380 million go to Nevada's education system and Time for 20, an initiative that calls for a 20 percent salary increase for teachers, a $20 per hour for school workers and an average class size of 20 students.
“There is only one more week before this session is up, and we need to get this settled,” Shuman said. “It’s only two more months before school starts again, and we are so shorthanded in our educators. We need help now.”