“I thank City Council Members Dan Kalb, Loren Taylor, Treva Reid, Sheng Thao and President Nikki Fortunato Bas for voting to continue moving forward with a waterfront ballpark neighborhood at Howard Terminal. A non-binding advisory measure would have jeopardized keeping the A’s in Oakland, cost taxpayers as much as a million dollars, and done nothing but provide special interests with opportunities to spread misinformation. I also want to thank the many residents who called in to support continuing to work with the A’s to find a win-win solution for a new waterfront neighborhood with good jobs and community benefits.
The Oakland City Council has provided clear direction in our negotiations with the A’s: Oakland taxpayers will be protected from the costs of the ballpark and associated development. We have learned the mistakes of the past and we won’t repeat them. Instead, generations of Oaklanders will enjoy a new waterfront district with much-need public parks, living-wage jobs, and affordable housing, paid for by the project itself.”
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