Sports

Oakland A's Reject Lease Extension at O.co Coliseum

Should a new baseball stadium be built and if so, where? You tell us.

The Oakland A's have rejected a proposal by the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority to extend their lease at the O.co Coliseum for 10 years, the baseball team said.
 
In a statement, the team didn't say why it is turning down the authority's offer, saying only that, "While the proposal was for 10 years, it did not address all of our issues" and "consequently, we cannot accept the terms of the offer.
 
The A's said, "We have tried to negotiate in good faith for the past several months. As the authority knows, it is still our preference not to negotiate this agreement through the media."
 
The A's issued their statement Tuesday night after the Coliseum Authority released a statement saying they had offered the team a 10-year lease to remain at the O.co Coliseum site. The authority said it wouldn't release the terms of its offer to the A's publicly but it had shared them with Major League Baseball.

Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, who chairs the authority, said in the statement, "We wanted to send a clear statement to the A's, the fans, (A's owner) Lew Wolff and Major League Baseball that we want the A's at the O.co Coliseum and want to keep baseball in Oakland." Miley said, "A 10-year extension, lasting through the 2024 season, gives the team a place to call home and our fans and sponsors a window to continue investing their time and passion in this team. We are also working to ensure this deal safeguards county and city taxpayers."
 
He said, "We are meeting the A's management where they say they want to be and hope to conclude these negotiations quickly."
 
A key issue dividing the A's and the city of Oakland and Alameda County officials who serve on the Coliseum Authority is whether to build a new baseball stadium in Oakland and where it would be located if it were to be built.
 
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and a group of Oakland business leaders are exploring the possibility of building a new waterfront stadium at the Howard Terminal just north of Jack London Square. But Wolff, who previously has tried to move the A's to San Jose, has said he's not interested in having a stadium at that site.

—By Bay City News


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