Bay Area

Howard Terminal Ballpark Discussions Continue

Published

5 years ago

January 23, 2020

The City Council passed a resolution this week to work collaboratively with the Port of Oakland to authorize a new A’s stadium at Howard Terminal on the waterfront – a decision that has little substance but gives the impression that the council is moving quickly to a final decision to build the stadium.

The resolution, which the council passed unanimously Tuesday evening, authorizes the City Administrator to sign a “non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)” between the city and the port to review the project proposed by the Oakland A’s.

The resolution was submitted by the Office of the City Administrator. Since it is well known that Mayor Libby Schaaf’s administration strongly endorses the Howard Terminal project, some council members were concerned that the resolution might be committing them to more than what it appeared to say on its surface.

Council President Rebecca Kaplan asked city staff and legal counsel why this resolution was needed.

“We are not voting tonight on whether or not to build a ballpark,” Kaplan said.

“I didn’t think we needed an MOU for the city and the port to work together,” she added, questioning why the resolution was “recommended or necessary.”

After consulting with city staff, Kaplan said the reason for the MOU is “so there will not be lack of clarity in terms of city/port duties.”

“We are not changing any duties, just restating them so the city and port will not have any confusion between each other,” she said.

Speaking at the council meeting, Ruby Ascevedo, a staff attorney with Public Advocates, criticized the resolution for lacking substance and clarity.

“There is no information on this item that could inform the public of what this MOU is actually doing, how it’s going to govern the actions taken by either the port or the city,” she said.

“I reviewed it several times. I am an attorney and cannot tell you what is in there and what the public can expect from this MOU.”

Councilmember Noel Gallo wanted to be sure that the resolution did not mean that the council was giving up its authority to make the final decision on the ballpark.

“At the end of the day, who has the final vote and say in terms of the ballpark? He asked, satisfied with the answer that it was the council and not the mayor.

“We’re all Oakland A’s fans, but I represent the best interests of the public,” Gallo said, pointing out that past deals with the Raiders and Warriors have left local taxpayers on the hooks for millions of dollars.

“This is not a rubber stamping process,” said Councilmember Lynette McElhaney. “It is important that this body send a signal that there is nothing set in stone.”

“It is fine for the mayor to be a champion,” she said, but the council process must be “deliberative (and) intentional,” weighing the impact of the project on the port and its workers, air quality for the community and transportation in the area.

Under the team’s timeline – backed by A’s fans, local businesses, developers and building trades unions – the project would break ground next year and completed in time for the 2023 season.

The A’s is also currently negotiating with the city to purchase the city’s share of the Coliseum property or become partners in a major real estate deal, turning the area in a complex of housing, offices and retail.

Opposing the deal are the International Longshore Union Local 10, East Oakland churches and local residents, who view the proposed project as leading to intensified gentrification and undermining the port as a major international shipping hub.

Another coalition, Oakland United — made up of residents, nonprofits and community groups — is willing to back the Howard Terminal ballpark if the project contains a strong community benefits agreement.

Ken Epstein

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Oakland Post: Week of December 25 – 31, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 25 – 31, 2024

Published

10 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Glydways Breaking Ground on 14-Acre Demonstration Facility at Hilltop Mall

Glydways has been testing its technology at CCTA’s GoMentum Station in Concord for several years. The company plans to install an ambitious 28-mile Autonomous Transit Network in East Contra Costa County. The new Richmond facility will be strategically positioned near that project, according to Glydways.

Published

3 days ago

December 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Image of planned Richmond facility courtesy of Glydways.

The Richmond Standard

Glydways, developer of microtransit systems using autonomous, small-scale vehicles, is breaking ground on a 14-acre Development and Demonstration Facility at the former Hilltop Mall property in Richmond, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) reported on social media.

Glydways, which released a statement announcing the project Monday, is using the site while the mall property undergoes a larger redevelopment.

“In the interim, Glydways will use a portion of the property to showcase its technology and conduct safety and reliability testing,” the company said.

The new Richmond development hub will include “over a mile of dedicated test track, enabling Glydways to refine its solutions in a controlled environment while simulating real-world conditions,” the company said.

Visitors to the facility will be able to experience on-demand travel, explore the control center and visit a showroom featuring virtual reality demonstrations of Glydways projects worldwide.

The hub will also house a 13,000-square-foot maintenance and storage facility to service the growing fleet of Glydcars.

“With this new facility [at the former Hilltop Mall property], we’re giving the public a glimpse of the future, where people can experience ultra-quiet, on-demand transit—just like hailing a rideshare, but with the reliability and affordability of public transit,” said Tim Haile, executive director of CCTA.

Janet Galvez, vice president and investment officer at Prologis, owner of the Hilltop Mall property, said her company is “thrilled” to provide space for Glydways and is continuing to work with the city on future redevelopment plans for the broader mall property.

Richmond City Manager Shasa Curl added that Glydways’ presence “will not only help test new transit solutions but also activate the former Mall site while preparation and finalization of the Hilltop Horizon Specific Plan is underway.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Last City Council Meeting of the Year Ends on Sour Note with Big Budget Cuts

In a five to one vote, with Councilmembers Carroll Fife and Janani Ramachandran excused, the council passed a plan aimed at balancing the $130 million deficit the city is facing. Noel Gallo voted against the plan, previously citing concerns over public safety cuts, while Nikki Fortunato-Bas, Treva Reid, Rebecca Kaplan, Kevin Jenkins, and Dan Kalb voted in agreement with the plan.

Published

3 days ago

December 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland City Council voted on a plan to balance the $130 million deficit at their last regular meeting of 2024. The plan reduces police spending by $25 million, temporarily closes two fire stations, and guts the cultural arts programs. iStock photo.

By Magaly Muñoz

In the last lengthy Tuesday meeting of the Oakland City Council for 2024, residents expressed strong opposition to the much needed budget cuts before a change in leadership was finalized with the certification of election results.

Oakland police and fire departments, the ambassador program, and city arts and culture will all see significant cuts over the course of two phases.

Phase 1 will eliminate two police academies, brown out two fire stations, eliminate the ambassador program, and reduce police overtime by nearly $25 million. These, with several other cuts across departments, aim to save the city $60 million. In addition, the council simultaneously approved to transfer restricted funds into its general purpose fund, amounting to over $40 million.

Phase 2 includes additional fire station brownouts and the elimination of 91 jobs, aiming to recover almost $16 million in order to balance the rest of the budget.

Several organizations and residents spoke out at the meeting in hopes of swaying the council to not make cuts to their programs.

East Oakland Senior Center volunteers and members, and homeless advocates, filled the plaza just outside of City Hall with rallies to show their disapproval of the new budget plan. Senior residents told the council to “remember that you’ll get old too” and that disturbing their resources will only bring problems for an already struggling community.

While city staff announced that there would not be complete cuts to senior center facilities, there would be significant reductions to staff and possibly inter-program services down the line.

Exiting council member and interim mayor Bas told the public that she is still hopeful that the one-time $125 million Coliseum sale deal will proceed in the near future so that the city would not have to continue with drastic cuts. The deal was intended to save the city for fiscal year 2024-25, but a hold up at the county level has paused any progress and therefore millions of dollars in funds Oakland desperately needs.

The Coliseum sale has been a contentious one. Residents and city leaders were originally against using the deal as a way to balance the budget, citing doubts about the sellers, the African American Sports and Entertainment Group’s (AASEG), ability to complete the deal. Council members Reid, Ramachandran, and Gallo have called several emergency meetings to understand where the first installments of the sale are, with little to no answers.

Bas added that as the new Alameda County Supervisor for D5, a position she starts in a few weeks, she will do everything in her power to push the Coliseum sale along.

The city is also considering a sales tax measure to put on the special election ballot on April 15, 2025, which will also serve as an election to fill the now vacant D2 and mayor positions. The tax increase would raise approximately $29 million annually for Oakland, allowing the city to gain much-needed revenue for the next two-year budget.

The council will discuss the possible sales tax measure on January 9.