News
Nevada Governor Calls Special Session For Las Vegas Oakland Raiders NFL Decision
Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval has announced a special session for October 10th iin Carson City and that will focus on the set of recommendations advanced by the Governor’s group called The Southern Nevada Tourism and Infrastructure Committee (SNTIC).In a statement on the Governor’s website, Sandoval’s staff reports the meeting will start at 8 am (PST) and he will release the agenda for it on Sunday, October 9th.
In the announcement, the Governor wrote “My staff and I have had extensive discussions with legislative leadership and it’s time for the full body to begin its deliberations on the recommendations of the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee. Now is the time to capitalize on the opportunity before us to invest in Nevada’s most foundational industry, tourism, by providing for the infrastructure and public safety needs of the 21st century. As I have said before, we can and must usher in a new era for tourism in the Las Vegas market, while keeping our citizens and visitors safe, and ensuring our position as the global leader in entertainment and hospitality.”The rest of the Governor’s statement focused on Nevada’s under-funded education system and his desire to “get ahead” of the needs of the education budget. It’s reported that a number of Republican Nevada lawmakers had high hopes a education funding for what are called “education savings accounts” would be part of the set of legislative actions for special session.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yclZ_Y–EK8
But the Nevada Supreme Court ruled the Legislature could not dip into money already set aside for public education. Having said that, the education discussion is arguably a political smoke screen for the real main event: the hotel tax increase and the $750 million bond issue that, if voted for, would be placed on the fiscal back of Clark County, Nevada.
The only way Clark County, Nevada could stop the decision is via a vote among its commissioners either not to do that bond issue, or to reduce the amount to something below the $750 million Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson and Oakland Raiders Owner Mark Davis say they want, and that not getting it would be, in their words, a “deal breaker.”
And if Clark County wound up approving that money, the next stop for proponents of the Oakland Raiders in Las Vegas would be the January NFL Owners Meeting.
According to observers the legislation would come down to a vote on a proposal that, if granted as one (rather than sectioned off as different bills) would lead to $750 million for the stadium, $400 million for the Las Vegas Convention Center Expansion Project, and $40 million for education, although it’s not clear where that money would come from as of this writing. What is clear, is that the stage is set for a massive battle between giving almost $1 billion to a person in Sheldon Adelson who is worth $29 billion, versus the original intent many in Nevada, which was to allow the state to provide $1 billion for the LVCC expansion project.
Does Nevada Special Session Spell End Of Tea Party Politics?
Over the past decade, the national Republican Party’s platforms have been altered by the emergence of the Tea Party. Formost among the advocates has been one Grover Norquist. His non-profit called Americans For Tax Reform opposes all tax increases, and has consistently hammered what he’s called “tax and spend” Democrats. He has also been vocal on taxpayer spending for NFL stadiums, and on Twitter tweeted “The 20 new NFL stadiums built between 1997 and 2015 got $4.76 billion in taxpayer funding. Av handout:$238 million” If the Nevada Legislature approves the $750 million, almost 16 percent of all taxpayer money spent between 1997 and 2015 would be represented in the dollars set aside for Las Vegas Sands and the Oakland Raiders.
Given that, and the Tea Party’s stance against such tax increases and expenditures, how could Nevada get to a point where it’s one vote from doing what not even Democrats are known for doing? Two words: Sheldon Adelson.
Fueled by his intense hatred for public money going to the convention center authority in Las Vegas, Adelson has been at war with the organization for the better part of 15 years. In an effort to slow down money going to LVCC expansion, Adelson and his staff saw the Raiders need for a new stadium, and Mark Davis’ willingness to not work effectively with the City of Oakland, as an opportunity not really to get a new venue for Las Vegas, but more as a new tool in his ongoing fight against the Las Vegas Convention Center Authority.
The true bottom line is that Adelson could pay for the football complex all by himself, if he wanted to. But he also knows that given his much talked about and current legal problems with money laundering allegations, he’s better off reducing his fiscal exposure as much as he can, and in the process steering tax money away from the LVCC.
To that end, Adelson first sought to control as much of the production of local news as possible. To do that he spent $140 million last year to buy the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Then, his management staff fired several journalists who didn’t want to play along and write only nice things about Adelson. Then, the remaining writers sought to pave a road of content favorable to the idea of an NFL stadium in Las Vegas, as well as why Nevada should agree to a hotel tax increase to give Las Vegas Sands $750 million to pay for it.
But Adelson had not stopped there: he also paid over $200,000 to help fund the campaigns of over 20 Las Vegas and Nevada lawmakers, from city council people to senators and assembly persons. The two public officials on the SNTIC, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodwin and Clark County Supervisor Steve Sisolak, both received a total of $25,000 from either Adelson or one of his business interests last year.
Even the Nevada Governor’s fed from the Adelson troff.
So, Sheldon Adeldon has done as much as he can to engineer this outcome. Many in Las Vegas and Nevada are, I’m told, afraid to piss off the billionaire. Why this is, is a mystery, but the word is out. Moreover, Adelson has the help of powerful friends, including Casino Magnate Steve Wynn, owner of such posh hotels as Wynn and Encore in Las Vegas, and who’s managed to realize significant revenues from Macao, as has Adelson. In a recent interview, Wynn said that having an NFL team in Las Vegas would be the biggest thing in 25 to 40 years and if the Raiders deal wasn’t approved, “someone should be arrested”. If that’s the case, Wynn may be calling for the jailing of The Nevada Taxpayers Association.
The Nevada Taxpayers Association has came out, full force, against the stadium financing proposal, saying that 57 percent of its board of directors is against the plan. Adding to their voice is that of the organization Nevadans for the Common Good, a religious non-profit that consists of 40 other similar companies.
Thus the stage is set. Stay tuned to this space and to Zennie62.com for more information leading up to Monday’s Nevada Special Session.
Activism
NAACP California-Hawaii State Convention Highlights Black Voter Engagement, and More
A Friday panel featuring NAACP Chairman Leon W. Russell and Regina Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media, examined Project 2025, an initiative perceived as a potential threat to civil rights, healthcare access, and environmental protection. This session emphasized Project 2025’s projected impact on Black communities, noting that policies within the initiative could diminish gains in civil and environmental rights over decades. Russell and Wilson highlighted the need for vigilant monitoring and community mobilization to address these challenges.
By Bo Tefu, California Black Media
The 37th NAACP California-Hawaii State Convention concluded on Sunday, Oct 27, following four days of discussions and workshops at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott. Bringing together civil rights leaders, policymakers, and advocates from California and Hawaii, the convention operated under the theme “All In.” The participants discussed critical issues impacting Black communities, including criminal justice reform, health equity, economic empowerment, education, environmental justice, and voting rights.
A Friday panel featuring NAACP Chairman Leon W. Russell and Regina Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media, examined Project 2025, an initiative perceived as a potential threat to civil rights, healthcare access, and environmental protection. This session emphasized Project 2025’s projected impact on Black communities, noting that policies within the initiative could diminish gains in civil and environmental rights over decades. Russell and Wilson highlighted the need for vigilant monitoring and community mobilization to address these challenges.
On Saturday, the President’s Fireside Chat brought together NAACP President Derrick Johnson and CA/HI State Conference President Rick Callender, who discussed the urgency of voter engagement and community advocacy.
Guest speakers included Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), who spoke at the Women in NAACP (WIN) Labor Luncheon about the intersection of labor rights and civil rights. California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond delivered remarks at the Leadership Dinner on education equity, focusing on policies to ensure all students have access to high-quality education.
Honors were given to longtime social justice advocate and former Assemblymember Mike Davis for his work in community activism. At the same time, actor and activist Danny Glover and the Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown received the 2024 Legacy Hall of Fame Awards, recognizing their lifelong commitments to advancing civil rights.
The convention also offered practical workshops, including “What’s On Your Ballot?,” where coalition leaders provided analyses of California propositions, explaining their potential impacts on community rights and resources. The Voter Turnout Workshop provided background and encouraged participants to promote voter turnout through community-centered outreach strategies.
Sunday’s events closed with a Prayer and Memorial Breakfast honoring the contributions of past and current civil rights leaders.
Bay Area
Alameda County Judge Blasts Defendants Over Delay in West Oakland Fire Trial
Judge Kimberly Lowell excoriated the RadiusRecycling/SchnitzerSteel defendants in court for causing delays in prosecuting this case. Since the defendants first appeared in court on July 23, they have obtained three extensions of the arraignment date.
Special to The Post
District Attorney Pamela Price announced that a hearing was held on October 30 in the criminal prosecution of the Radius Recycling/Schnitzer Steel involving a fire at the West Oakland facility on Aug. 9-10, 2023.
The Alameda County criminal Grand Jury indicted radius Recycling and two of its corporate managers in June 2024.
Judge Kimberly Lowell excoriated the RadiusRecycling/SchnitzerSteel defendants in court for causing delays in prosecuting this case. Since the defendants first appeared in court on July 23, they have obtained three extensions of the arraignment date.
The court clarified that the defendants will not receive more extensions on their arraignment and plea.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price agreed with the court that defendants should not get preferential treatment. Price and her team appreciated the court for clarifying that future delays by Radius will not be tolerated.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s (BAAQMD) public data shows that during and after the fire, the smoke plume traveled across Alameda County with high levels of PM 2.5 (Particulate Matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter) detected around Laney College in Oakland, Livermore, Pleasanton, and West Oakland.
PM2.5 is particularly harmful to infants and children, the elderly, and people with asthma or heart disease.
“This fire posed a great health hazard to the people of Alameda County,” said Price. “High, short-term exposures to a toxic smoke plume have been shown to cause significant danger to human health.
“Additionally, in this case, Oakland firefighters battled the blaze under extremely dangerous conditions for 15 hours with assistance from a San Francisco Fire Department fireboat and a fireboat from the City of Alameda Fire Department,” Price observed.
The team prosecuting the case from the DA’s Consumer Justice Bureau looks forward to resolving any future motions and having the defendants arraigned in court on Dec. 9.
The media relations office of the Alameda County District Attorney’s office is the source of this report.
Alameda County
D.A. Price Charges Coliseum Flea Market Vendors in Organized Retail Theft Case
The charges against Octavio Ambriz Valle, 52, Devora Ambriz Valle, 49, and Felipe Del Toro Trejo, 54, include multiple felony counts of possessing stolen property and organized retail theft in concert. It is alleged that the trio of vendors possessed stolen property valued at $348,466 from nine different retailers, including Kohl’s, Macy’s, PetSmart, Sephora, Sunglass Hut, TJX, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart.
Special to The Post
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced today that her office charged three people in connection with multiple organized retail theft crimes stemming from a sophisticated criminal enterprise operating at the Oakland Coliseum Flea Market from March 26, 2023, through April 17, 2024.
The charges against Octavio Ambriz Valle, 52, Devora Ambriz Valle, 49, and Felipe Del Toro Trejo, 54, include multiple felony counts of possessing stolen property and organized retail theft in concert.
It is alleged that the trio of vendors possessed stolen property valued at $348,466 from nine different retailers, including Kohl’s, Macy’s, PetSmart, Sephora, Sunglass Hut, TJX, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart.
Last year, the District Attorney’s Office successfully competed and received a $2 million grant from the California Department of Justice to combat organized retail theft. Price added another $2 million to bolster the Organized Retail Crime Alameda (ORCA) unit which is fully operational and collaborating with numerous law enforcement agencies.
“For over a year, this enterprise supported criminal networks by requesting and buying specific products from brazen boosters who repeatedly terrorized retailers,” said Price. “I want to acknowledge our Organized Retail Crime Alameda (ORCA) Vertical Prosecution Unit for its great work and the role they played in this multi-jurisdiction investigation, which included the California Highway Patrol Golden Gate Division Organized Retail Crime Task Force, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and San Ramon Police Department.”
If convicted and sentenced on all charges, Octavio Ambriz Valle faces a maximum sentence of nine years in County jail; Devora Ambriz Valle faces a maximum sentence of five years in County jail; and Felipe Del Toro Trejo faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in County jail.
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