3.10 22-0533 Subject: Proposed Ballot Measure On Public Spending On Oakland A's Project At Howard Terminal
From: Councilmember Gallo
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution On City Council's Own Motion For Submittal To The Voters At The November 8, 2022 General Municipal Election Of An Advisory Vote On Spending Public Funds For Infrastructure And Other Costs At The Oakland A's Privately Owned Proposed Baseball And Real Estate Project At Howard Terminal; On The July 5, 2022 City Council Agenda On Non-Consent
Please oppose this resolution. Oakland deserves a chance to pursue its own future while not being hampered by disingenuous astroturf groups like EOSA. This is nothing more than a stall tactic and will only result in flatlining the project for the city. Please do your appointed job. We elect council members to take a circumspect view on proposals like this, to gather all the pertinent information, and vote in accordance of the best interest of Oakland. A ballot measure is superfluous, diversionary, and wasteful. Please move Oakland forward and help to approve the HT project. Thank you…
Our city council was elected to make tough decisions on complicated questions. If Gallo opposes this development, fine let him vote against it. Putting it on a ballot measure will cause undue delay and uncertainty that will likely be enough to kill the project in favor of greener pastures in Las Vegas. Do your jobs, don’t cave to pressure of the corporate polluter astroturf EOSA.
I think Howard Terminal will be transformational for Oakland but regardless I think the decision should be up to our elected officials, not Schnitzer Steel.
Putting up a ballot measure this late is some serious and troublesome thing Oakland could ever do. This does not need a vote, we already see the benefits and the process has been rolling smoothly. You are elected to do this in our republic system. Do your jobs and complete the development agreement so we can finalize this long journey we have gone through. To bring something like this up at this end phase process only, in my opinion, questions your ability to hold public office at this point. You ran for office to do this very task, if you try and pass this off due to it's potential repercussions is NOT serving the public, but rather deflecting for political purposes. I ask one last time, finish this project so we can all move on.
Please do not waste Oakland taxpayer money on a ballot measure for HT.
A YES vote, gives the A's a mandate and eliminates the important negotiations to make this project be the best it can for residents.
A "NO" vote means a private parking lot at Howard Terminal for the foreseeable future. No other developer will want to go through everything the A's have- including millions of dollars spent on research, development, and outreach- in order to see their project put up to a vote.
Numerous studies demonstrate that more luxury housing does not accelerate gentrification- pressure on older housing stock actually *decreases* when luxury housing is built in neighborhoods*. Furthermore, the environmental cleanup required by the project will benefit current West Oakland residents. As sea levels rise toxins in soil can migrate further inland than previously believed. The A's are willing to pay for the mitigation of the numerous toxic legacy sites on Howard Terminal.
This project is extremely important for all Oakland residents, and putting the future of Oakland up for a yes/no vote based on hot takes, sharp soundbites, and ultimately who has the deepest pockets is not the way to steward an undertaking of this magnitude. I have lived in Oakland since 1999. I've seen firsthand how decades of under-investment have caused lasting issues for Oakland residents. Please have the conversations, do the research, go deeper.
“Supply Shock versus Demand Shock,” Asquith, Mast, and Reed (2019)
The elected officials voted into public service are provided the time, information and financial resources to appropriately understand the complexities, benefits and risks of this project. It is their duty to make this decision. The people have already voted by electing their representiitives. Passing that duty onto the people is irresponsible and a waste of tax payer dollars. Please do what you are paid and elected to do.
You are elected and then paid by the people to make these decisions. This is entirely an attempt by corporate entities to put the decision into the hands of a public who doesn’t fully understand all the complexities of this issue like you do. You have ALL the information and data to make the decision you were elected to do. This nonsense has no place in the ballot and is only a smokescreen so these corporate entities can continue to pollute Oakland
To even have this conversation, to have this Considered and to even bring up the idea to have this put on a ballot and waste taxpayers money in the city of Oakland is a perfect example why Oakland fails at everything because you have city council members two of them that are incompetent and Enable to do their jobs And to make critical decisions reflect on how their districts look like. And for the city council members two of them to be exact to listen to the ESOA a Organization that has been spreading miss information on the project and an organization that is not even based out of Oakland it’s on the thread of trying to convince the city to spin taxpayer money and waist tax payers money for this to happen is why no one wants to deal with Oakland. Stop Delaying this and get the project done you have small businesses and other organizations that support this project and wants the city to thrive and the city Council to members two members to be exact are preventing that from happening.
This EOSA measure is nothing but a Astroturf effort from big industries that want to have a free hand to continue to pollute in West Oakland. You the elected representatives of the people need to do your job and consider the merits of the Howard Terminal stadium yourself. It’s completely unacceptable and a dereliction of duty to punt on making the decision on this highly complex project - the people don’t have the resources or the staff resources that you the elected members of the council have. Quite simply you are paid to make these decisions, so do it.
Our representatives are elected to do the hard work of making decisions in a representative democracy. You are paid to do this difficulty, divise, and controversial job, and have the time, staff, access to experts & info resources, and access to city staff to execute these serious responsibilities.
Either put the entire city and Port budget up for vote, or none of it. You have a hard job & choices to make. This is the job you wanted - please do it to the best of your abilities, and don’t run for cover when it gets controversial and hard. We demand better.
Have the City Council do the job they are being payed to do. They are in a position/have been in a position to fact find and obtain information about the HT process and relay that information to their constituency. No more wasting time or delay on this process
Please oppose this spurious ballot measure based entirely on misinformation as proposed by the astroturf EOSA group opposing the Waterfront Ballpark project. Over the last week I've received 2 mailers filled with misinformation about billion-dollar tax giveaways and there are photos of a petition table by EOSA claiming the petition is in support of keeping the A's (when it's been repeatedly stated that the organization is committed only to the Waterfront site).
We all know what ballot measures are about, especially when driven by a moneyed interest groups like EOSA. It's an attempt to do an end-run around the legislative process and get their way by pouring money into political campaigns to misinform and scare the public on incredibly complicated issues that even Council requires a team of staff members to parse through.
The Waterfront Ballpark Project is largely privately funded with use of but-for taxes for infrastructure and public-good spending like Sea-level rise abatement, a public park, and private development of housing and cultural attractions. Please do not let this disingenuous group continue to throw up road blocks on a project that stands to benefit Oakland for generations.
Please oppose this resolution. Oakland deserves a chance to pursue its own future while not being hampered by disingenuous astroturf groups like EOSA. This is nothing more than a stall tactic and will only result in flatlining the project for the city. Please do your appointed job. We elect council members to take a circumspect view on proposals like this, to gather all the pertinent information, and vote in accordance of the best interest of Oakland. A ballot measure is superfluous, diversionary, and wasteful. Please move Oakland forward and help to approve the HT project. Thank you…
Our city council was elected to make tough decisions on complicated questions. If Gallo opposes this development, fine let him vote against it. Putting it on a ballot measure will cause undue delay and uncertainty that will likely be enough to kill the project in favor of greener pastures in Las Vegas. Do your jobs, don’t cave to pressure of the corporate polluter astroturf EOSA.
I think Howard Terminal will be transformational for Oakland but regardless I think the decision should be up to our elected officials, not Schnitzer Steel.
A ballot measure will cost Oakland taxpayers more money than the proposed Howard Terminal project ever will. This is a terrible idea.
Putting up a ballot measure this late is some serious and troublesome thing Oakland could ever do. This does not need a vote, we already see the benefits and the process has been rolling smoothly. You are elected to do this in our republic system. Do your jobs and complete the development agreement so we can finalize this long journey we have gone through. To bring something like this up at this end phase process only, in my opinion, questions your ability to hold public office at this point. You ran for office to do this very task, if you try and pass this off due to it's potential repercussions is NOT serving the public, but rather deflecting for political purposes. I ask one last time, finish this project so we can all move on.
Please do not waste Oakland taxpayer money on a ballot measure for HT.
A YES vote, gives the A's a mandate and eliminates the important negotiations to make this project be the best it can for residents.
A "NO" vote means a private parking lot at Howard Terminal for the foreseeable future. No other developer will want to go through everything the A's have- including millions of dollars spent on research, development, and outreach- in order to see their project put up to a vote.
Numerous studies demonstrate that more luxury housing does not accelerate gentrification- pressure on older housing stock actually *decreases* when luxury housing is built in neighborhoods*. Furthermore, the environmental cleanup required by the project will benefit current West Oakland residents. As sea levels rise toxins in soil can migrate further inland than previously believed. The A's are willing to pay for the mitigation of the numerous toxic legacy sites on Howard Terminal.
This project is extremely important for all Oakland residents, and putting the future of Oakland up for a yes/no vote based on hot takes, sharp soundbites, and ultimately who has the deepest pockets is not the way to steward an undertaking of this magnitude. I have lived in Oakland since 1999. I've seen firsthand how decades of under-investment have caused lasting issues for Oakland residents. Please have the conversations, do the research, go deeper.
“Supply Shock versus Demand Shock,” Asquith, Mast, and Reed (2019)
The elected officials voted into public service are provided the time, information and financial resources to appropriately understand the complexities, benefits and risks of this project. It is their duty to make this decision. The people have already voted by electing their representiitives. Passing that duty onto the people is irresponsible and a waste of tax payer dollars. Please do what you are paid and elected to do.
The Howard Terminal project will bring 70 million dollars a year to Oakland.
You are elected and then paid by the people to make these decisions. This is entirely an attempt by corporate entities to put the decision into the hands of a public who doesn’t fully understand all the complexities of this issue like you do. You have ALL the information and data to make the decision you were elected to do. This nonsense has no place in the ballot and is only a smokescreen so these corporate entities can continue to pollute Oakland
To even have this conversation, to have this Considered and to even bring up the idea to have this put on a ballot and waste taxpayers money in the city of Oakland is a perfect example why Oakland fails at everything because you have city council members two of them that are incompetent and Enable to do their jobs And to make critical decisions reflect on how their districts look like. And for the city council members two of them to be exact to listen to the ESOA a Organization that has been spreading miss information on the project and an organization that is not even based out of Oakland it’s on the thread of trying to convince the city to spin taxpayer money and waist tax payers money for this to happen is why no one wants to deal with Oakland. Stop Delaying this and get the project done you have small businesses and other organizations that support this project and wants the city to thrive and the city Council to members two members to be exact are preventing that from happening.
This EOSA measure is nothing but a Astroturf effort from big industries that want to have a free hand to continue to pollute in West Oakland. You the elected representatives of the people need to do your job and consider the merits of the Howard Terminal stadium yourself. It’s completely unacceptable and a dereliction of duty to punt on making the decision on this highly complex project - the people don’t have the resources or the staff resources that you the elected members of the council have. Quite simply you are paid to make these decisions, so do it.
Our representatives are elected to do the hard work of making decisions in a representative democracy. You are paid to do this difficulty, divise, and controversial job, and have the time, staff, access to experts & info resources, and access to city staff to execute these serious responsibilities.
Either put the entire city and Port budget up for vote, or none of it. You have a hard job & choices to make. This is the job you wanted - please do it to the best of your abilities, and don’t run for cover when it gets controversial and hard. We demand better.
Have the City Council do the job they are being payed to do. They are in a position/have been in a position to fact find and obtain information about the HT process and relay that information to their constituency. No more wasting time or delay on this process
Please oppose this spurious ballot measure based entirely on misinformation as proposed by the astroturf EOSA group opposing the Waterfront Ballpark project. Over the last week I've received 2 mailers filled with misinformation about billion-dollar tax giveaways and there are photos of a petition table by EOSA claiming the petition is in support of keeping the A's (when it's been repeatedly stated that the organization is committed only to the Waterfront site).
We all know what ballot measures are about, especially when driven by a moneyed interest groups like EOSA. It's an attempt to do an end-run around the legislative process and get their way by pouring money into political campaigns to misinform and scare the public on incredibly complicated issues that even Council requires a team of staff members to parse through.
The Waterfront Ballpark Project is largely privately funded with use of but-for taxes for infrastructure and public-good spending like Sea-level rise abatement, a public park, and private development of housing and cultural attractions. Please do not let this disingenuous group continue to throw up road blocks on a project that stands to benefit Oakland for generations.