Business

A’s Owner John Fisher Port Proposal No Good for Oakland

Billionaire John Fisher, owner of the A’s, has things to do before he can take over Oakland’s public port property to build malls and housing for the rich.

Published

4 years ago

October 10, 2021

Christy Price

Howard Terminal on Port of Oakland Map

OPINION

Billionaire John Fisher, owner of the A’s, has things to do before he can take over Oakland’s public port property to build malls and housing for the rich.

It is such a bad idea and the costs to the public are so ridiculous that logically it shouldn’t happen. But this right-wing, Trump-supporting Republican has a boatload of money and a few corporation-oriented politicians to help him push it through.

So, Oaklanders need to be active, or he might get it. Here are two of the things we need to act on:

Fisher won’t spend his own money. So, he wants Alameda County to give up spending on things like the COVID-19 pandemic, so we residents can pay for his project with taxpayer money. The vote on this will come up to the Board of Supervisors on October 26. If you’d prefer that the County fund health care, housing and other resident necessities, ask them to vote “No.” Call your supervisor at 510-208-4949 and/or attend the meeting.
The Oakland City Council will make the ultimate decision about Fisher’s project and there are a zillion reasons they should say “No.” Among them: a) Fisher’s project requires that thousands of people run across the tracks of a busy railroad, which killed a number of people even before there were big crowds needing to get to their condos or a stadium. b) And Fisher’s project would wreck Oakland’s Port. The “Seaport Compatibility Measures” necessary to keep the Port alive would cost hundreds of millions of dollars which would not be needed if it were not for Fisher’s project. So, Fisher, not taxpayers, should pay for them. c) And then there are all the other ways it will hurt the waterfront, the environment, and Port workers.

You can get contact information to reach your Council member here – https://www.oaklandca.gov/officials

Personally, any public official who votes for Fisher’s project will never get my vote again. Call me hard-headed, but the harm to Oakland as a working-class, multi-racial city, the harm to the ILWU (the union of Port workers, perhaps the most progressive union in America) and the opposition of the people of East Oakland are enough to make my hard head think that’s what solidarity requires.