“What is the true financial cost and our obligations for this project? The public is entitled to that,” says Councilmember Noel Gallo.

By Ken Epstein

A new poll of Oakland voters conducted by the Mellman Group for the East Oakland Stadium Alliance (EOSA) shows that city residents overwhelmingly want the right to vote on any deal the city strikes with the Oakland A’s using public funds for a Howard Terminal real estate development.

Voters also want an independent and public financial report produced on any deal before it is approved.

The poll surveyed 800 voters representing the likely November 2022 electorate in Oakland, California. Three-quarters (76%) of voters want to vote on any deal, while only 15% do not. Further, 63% strongly support putting a proposed agreement with the A’s on the ballot.

Over 70% of voters across age, gender, education, ethnicity, and sexual orientation support putting a deal on the ballot. Even 76% of self-identified baseball fans want a deal using public funds on the ballot.

James Vann. Photo courtesy of KPCC89.3.

Voters not only want to vote on any deal, but 85% also want to require a full, independent, public analysis before any deal is agreed to. Only 8% oppose this requirement, with 7% unsure. Over 75% of voters across gender, age, education, ethnicity, and in every City Council district want this independent public fiscal analysis conducted — including 85% of baseball fans.

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The call for placing any proposed deal with the Oakland A’s on the ballot was originally proposed by District 5 Councilmember Noel Gallo, while District 3 Carroll Fife originally proposed an independent financial analysis of the proposed deal before it is finally approved.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, a strong booster of the building the A’s real estate development on Port public land, has publicly opposed letting the voters decide on whether they want to fund the project.

At present, the cost to the public of the $12 billion private development and baseball stadium has been estimated to be over $1 billion.

Councilmember Gallo, speaking on a conference call announcing the poll results, said he was responding to requests from Oakland residents “who are burdened by the pandemic and taxation in the city.”

“At the end of the day, what is the best investment for residents who need work crews for cleanliness in their neighborhoods and to repair the streets?” he asked.

Port of Oakland file photo.

“What is the true financial cost and our obligations for this project?” Gallo asked. “To this day we haven’t received it. We have had the same experiences with Raiders and Warriors, and we’re still paying for that.”

Gallo said that Council members are considering hiring an outside consultant to look into the financial impact of the deal. “We need to conduct a workshop for City Council, a public meeting, with a cost-benefit analysis of the financial impact (including) who is responsible for maintenance and safety for this project. The public is entitled to that.”

James Vann, a longtime advocate for homes for the homeless and for affordable housing, also spoke on the conference call. He said that “the public needs to know what the city is obligating (residents) to.”

Generally, for projects like this, the cost “turns out to be double” the official estimates, he said. “Developers always come back with requests for additional money to finish their projects.”

The Mellman Group, a well-known polling company, conducted interviews in Oakland March 31-April 6, 2022, using a registration-based sample, with multi-mode interviews.

Live interviewers called cellphones and landlines while text-to-online interviews were also employed. The margin of error for the overall results is +/-3.5% at a 95% level of confidence. The margin of error is higher for subgroups.

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