Oakland Drops Lawsuit Against Alameda County Over Sale Of Coliseum To Athletics
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Oakland officials have dropped the city's lawsuit against Alameda County regarding the sale of the Oakland Coliseum to the Athletics, Mayor Libby Schaaf's office announced Wednesday.
The city council directed the city attorney to immediately drop the lawsuit, originally filed on Sep. 27, seeking to bar the county from selling its half ownership stake of the Coliseum complex to the A's.
"We're dropping the suit because we're pleased with our most recent discussions with the A's and our shared interest in Oakland's future," read a statement from Schaaf, City Council President Rebecca Kaplan and Vice Mayor Larry Reid.
"We're excited to enter into this next phase of negotiations with the A's to ensure they remain rooted in Oakland!"
The lawsuit accuses the county of violating the Surplus Land Act, a state law that requires publicly owned surplus lands to be considered for affordable housing before the lands are sold or leased.
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The A's offered to buy out both halves of the 112 acre Oakland Coliseum site, hoping to smooth a dispute with the city and speed along their efforts to build a new waterfront ballpark at Howard Terminal.
A's president Dave Kaval released the following statement Wednesday night, saying, "We are committed to the long-term success of East Oakland and the Coliseum site. We look forward to finalizing out agreement with Alameda County, and creating a mutually beneficial partnership with the City of Oakland."
The team is offering the city a list of community benefits that would include affordable housing, locally hired and livable wage union jobs, anti-displacement measures for lower income residents and a community youth sports arena. In return, the city would drop a lawsuit blocking the county from selling its portion of the property.
Alameda County and the city of Oakland would each get $85 million for the sale as well as freedom from operational losses that cost tax payers millions of dollars every year, Kaval says.
