A’s stadium bill overwhelmingly opposed in Nevada

The Oakland A’s are hot on the field right now and cold in the Nevada State Capitol.

On Sunday, the A’s completed their first sweep of the season,

“It’s just taken a while to get where we’re at. But we’ve continued to work, we’ve continued with the processes, and it’s nice to see these results happening for this group,” manager Mark Kotsay said after Sunday’s 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. With the series win, the team is riding a five-game winning streak as they welcome the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays into Oakland.

“They’ve worked really hard, and it’s tough to gain confidence in a season when the results aren’t there,” Kotsay said Sunday. “Now, you can kind of see the group collectively starting to believe in each other and form a culture together that is reflective of the performances of late.”

Kotsay says the A's are starting to come together as a club over this recent hot streak 🙌 pic.twitter.com/i9JlHGdM86

— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 10, 2023

Where the organization is struggling though, isn’t on the field, it’s gathering support for their stadium bill in Nevada.

Last week, Gov. Joe Lombardo called a special session to hear the bill when it didn’t pass during the legislative session.

On the public opinion page of Senate Bill 1, which is a copy of SB-509, over 540 people have voiced their opinion on the bill that could see Nevada award the A’s $380 million to help fund a $1.5 billion stadium. Of those 540 people who’ve voiced their opinion, nearly 90% oppose the bill, with 12% voicing their support.

The A’s were struggling to gather support in Nevada before lawmakers regular session ended, with nearly 80% opposed. Lawmakers heard the bill in special session for several days before breaking for the weekend. Reports indicate lawmakers are expected to resume talks this week.

According to the Associated Press, the “measure can still be amended by lawmakers, and if it passes the Senate it would still need approval from the Assembly before going to the desk of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who has expressed support for it.”

MLB owners would then have to approve the move, too.

Oakland A’s stadium deal timeline

The team began the process of relocating to Las Vegas earlier this year, when they announced not one, but two binding land deals.

First, the A’s announced an agreement with Red Rock Resorts to purchase 49 acres of land in Las Vegas. Less than a month later, a second binding agreement was announced between the A’s and Bally’s Corp. As time progressed, the two sides formally announced an agreement for a new baseball stadium along the Las Vegas Strip at the site of the Tropicana Hotel.

In the agreement between the team and Bally’s Corp., the Oakland A’s will have access to nine acres on the 35-acre site located at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue to build a 30,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof. The Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc. [GLPI] also agreed to fund “up to $175 million towards certain shared improvements within the future development in exchange for a commensurate rent increase.”

If the plan goes through, the team could break ground on the new stadium in 2024 with games beginning in Las Vegas as early as 2028. Total construction is estimated to be around $1.5 billion.

The team released stadium renderings before the Memorial Day weekend, with the sole joint-committee hearing taking place on the Memorial Day holiday.

If the move comes to fruition, Las Vegas would be the fourth home for the franchise. The team originates from Philadelphia where they played from 1901-1954. The Athletics then moved to Kansas City until 1968, when they relocated to Oakland. The A’s lease with the Oakland Coliseum ends after the 2024 season.

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