Keep the A's in Oakland

My name is Cynthia Morfin, and I am an Oakland resident living in D3. I believe that any development happening in Oakland should benefit the public good, not just wealthy developers. The developers of this project are billionaires infamous for privatizing public resources and not considering community impact. They have been confusing the public saying they will privately finance the project, but in actuality are planning to use tax revenues to fund any community benefits they commit to. It is our city officials responsibility now to ensure that our communities' rich history, environment, housing, and future of Oakland are secured in this process. I urge the City Council to only move forward with a strong term sheet that reflects these necessities. 

Let's keep the a's in oakland! This will help the surrounding areas with lots of tourism. Jack london, downtown and Chinatown. The a's will be heavy hitters in the community including with the kids. Keep the rich history of oakland baseball and don't let it slip away. Years round jobs and multiple events to be used and money to be spend in our city! Lets move forward and keep there's in oakland

I've lived in Oakland since my birth––please negotiate in good faith and find a fair compromise on the Jack London Square IFD terms, find a way to get to YES, and allow this transformational project to move forward. This project has the rare potential to keep the A's in Oakland, remedy some of the past wrongs with regard to environmental and social justice in West Oakland, and catalyze Oakland's economy in the Jack London Square area and provide thousands of good union jobs. If this generational opportunity falls through, I do not see any other deep-pocketed business interests that will invest in West Oakland and do right by the community. It simply has not happened for decades and decades. Without this project, all of our social problems in Oakland-–systemic racism, homelessness, etc.––will still remain; we just will have lost a beloved baseball team––Oakland's last professional sports team––that brings our community together across differences, and will have lost an opportunity to seize the future. This is our one shot. VOTE YES!

Make Oakland a destination people would want to travel to! If the Howard Terminal ballpark doesn't get built, it will just continue to be a wasteland. This project will greatly benefit the City of Oakland and bring JLS to life.

I fully support the Howard Terminal A’s waterfront project. As a 3rd generation Oaklander and whose family business has called Oakland home for 98 years, I believe this project will benefit Oakland and Oaklanders for generations to come. Your elected charge is to benefit our local community which seems to be the polar opposite of driving our remaining sports franchise away from Oakland. The A' s need to remain in Oakland at Howard Terminal and I implore you to support that goal.
During my family's tenure in this city, we have witnessed Oakland politicians make mistake after mistake preventing Oakland from being the city it deserves to be. Please do not continue that legacy... Oakland needs your leadership now.When we moved our business to Jack London Square in the 1970's from Old Oakland, we invested in a community that was basically warehouses and empty lots. Today, it is a shining star in our city with even greater potential. As Oakland Leadership, you need to shepherd this city to reach its potential and a partnership with the Oakland Athletics at Howard Terminal is crucial. Please support Oakland's potential…don't kill it.

Please approve this game changing project for the city. It will reconnect the downtown to the waterfront. It will upgrade transit offerings to and from the city. It will clean up a part of the city that should be celebrated. It will allow JLS to be what it always should have been. Please include the JLS IFD and do the infrastructure right for the entire area. Infrastructure that has been ignored by the city for too long. Approve it to bring badly needed housing and affordable housing to the city. Approve it to keep the city’s final sports team rooted in Oakland.

If Oakland and Alameda County don’t get their act together, they will lose the Athletics and ALL MEMBERS WILL BE RECALLED FROM THEIR SEATS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THEY LEAVE

See the bigger picture here and please move forward with this great project. As an East Oaklander I want our city to progress and remain as Oakland and not East San Francisco.

The Jack London Improvement District believes the A’s Stadium at Howard Terminal can be a fantastic, world-class development supporting Oakland’s equity and economic development goals, and contribute to pride in our city. It will improve public access to open space at the waterfront and strengthen our existing entertainment District and surrounding downtown neighborhoods. We ask the Council to vote yes to move the project forward. We are committed to continuing to work closely with the A’s to realize the City’s vision.

I work for the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) in District 2. We are deeply concerned about how this proposed ballpark development will negatively impact Chinatown. The lack of a study and mitigation measures for Chinatown could lead to debilitating traffic congestion for our neighborhoods. We need strong commitments from the A's, the City, and the Port to address this issue. Please ensure the City’s Term Sheet with the A’s includes a compatibility Clause for Chinatown along with other strong community benefit measures.
Oakland Chinatown is a hub for shopping, APIA cultural & social events, and culturally relevant faith and medical services for the entire community and represents the diverse cultures of Oakland. The negative impacts of the development such as traffic congestion and gentrification could destroy the cultural and historical heritage that has been preserving the community’s identity.

I believe that the Howard Terminal Project is not dealing in good faith with the city. There are to many if's/ may's not will's or must's. They just want to make more money with no regard for the present residents of Oakland. They are attempting to draw a different demographic. This will displace the current residents when their property values raise and they cannot pay their taxes and they will be displaced. This can be validated with the redevelopment in West Oakland where business and long time residents were destroyed. That area is a toxic area - independent environmental stud needs to be done.

As a staff member at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) in District 3, I am deeply concerned about the impact of this proposed ballpark development on Chinatown. The lack of a study and mitigation measures for Chinatown could lead to debilitating traffic congestion for our cultural district. We need strong commitments from the A's, the City, and the Port to address this issue. Please ensure the City’s Term Sheet with the A’s includes a compatibility Clause for Chinatown along with other strong community benefit measures. Patrons in Chinatown, regulars, and residents, will avoid Chinatown not just on games days, which averages once/week for home games, but also event days –our mom and pop shops, grocery stores, family associations, culturally relevant service providers, etc. will be choked out as people will not continue to come. Oakland Chinatown must be protected -- it is a part of Oakland’s uniquely inclusive heritage. Community members, like OACC, put in hundreds of hours of work to create CBA recommendations in conversation with the A's, the city, and the Port. That work product has been completely disregarded in the A's proposal. Taxpayer IFD funds are insufficient and restricted from funding the majority of the CBA recommendations because many of the recommendations are not capital projects. The A's need to clarify the community benefits for Chinatown and other impacted neighborhoods and commit to mitigating the harmful impacts of this development on Chinatown.

Hi, my name is Eunice Kwon. I'm a long-time resident of Oakland (District 1) and am a board member of the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) in District 3. Our organization is deeply concerned about the impact of this proposed ballpark development on Chinatown. The lack of study and mitigation measures on Chinatown and the undeniable traffic congestion will be irreversible without strong and clear commitments from the A’s, the City, and the Port. Oakland Chinatown must be protected -- it's a regional hub for new immigrant and refugees to get needed services, groceries and goods, and access to faith and cultural institutions. Please ensure the City’s Term Sheet with the A’s includes a compatibility Clause for Chinatown along with other strong community benefit measures.

OACC was one of the two community organizations that served on the planning committee for the Community Benefits Agreement process. Community members put in hundreds of hours of work to create CBA recommendations in conversation with the A's, the city, and the Port, and that work product has been completely disregarded in the A's proposal. Taxpayer IFD funds are insufficient and restricted from funding the majority of the CBA recommendations because many of the recommendations are not capital projects. Before moving forward, the A's need to make clear the community benefits for Chinatown and other impacted neighborhoods and commit to mitigating the harmful impacts of this development on Chinatown.

My name is Rev. Deborah Lee. I am the director of the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, a network of faith communities across Oakland and beyond, committed to spirituality and social justice. Our office is located in the Asian Resource Center Building in Chinatown --one of Oakland’s Landmarks, the city’s highest recognition of historic significance. This proposed ballpark development will negatively impact Chinatown. The lack of study and mitigation measures on Chinatown and the undeniable traffic congestion and environmental impacts will be irreversible without strong and clear commitments from the A’s, the City and the Port. Lack of commitment to onsite affordable housing and well-paying jobs to local residents is a major concern.

The negative impact and loss of Oakland Chinatown would wipe out an important cultural and civic resource to the City and State. Chinatown is a sacred place for weddings, funerals, graduations, family events, worship, and access to community services. It makes people feel at home and that they belong in our larger city.

In this historic moment of Anti AAPI violence, I am asking the City Leaders to also pay attention to structural violence and the structural invisibility of the AAPI community, especially when it comes to development. Please ensure the City’s Term Sheet with the A’s includes a compatibility Clause for Chinatown along with other strong community benefit measures.

I support the Oakland A’s waterfront ballpark at Howard Terminal. The Oakland City Council should be fighting to keep their last major sports team who has done so much for the City and Community over the years. The A’s have chosen Howard Terminal as their new home site and have spent millions of dollars analyzing to now move forward in a positive direction with the City and other key stakeholders. If the City doesn’t do their part to make this ballpark happen, the A’s will leave… just like the Warriors and the Raiders did, who now have new homes elsewhere. The City of Sacramento fought to keep their Kings and build a new home for them. There was no additional parking created, and it worked out. That urban arena location is now thriving. This is way bigger than baseball. It’s about a sense of community and civic pride for not only Oakland, but Northern California. Look into the future of Oakland and what can be a beautiful transformation of your waterfront that more community members would be able to enjoy. I urge you to vote favorably on July 20th.
– Carla Collins, East Bay Resident/Town Business Member/CMAA NorCal President/Signet Testing Labs VP-Alameda County SBE

I herein support the proposal in favor of the Oakland Athletics baseball team receiving funding for a new stadium and remain within the City of Oakland. As a fan of the Oakland Athletic team and one of the many who cheer for them, attending games and feeling the influx of an economy on the city, I am boggled if the city council does not vote in favor of this measure. This is not another Mount Davis and the pressurings of another sports franchise. What sports team to follow is left if the Oakland Athletics leave? - what franchise or team is there to cheer for? Spend money on jerseys and walk proudly down the streets of Oakland? Bulldozer Oracle Park and The Coliseum, one team left for a new stadium across the Bay and the other... If the news story is that the City of Oakland lost Three sports teams in Three years. What will the conversation be on Monday morning? Guaranteed it will not be about the Battle of the Bay series. I ask you to consider future events and prospects, rather than past conversations that occurred with a different team and owner. Thank you for your time and consideration in hearing my opinions on this matter.