{"id":1984,"date":"2026-06-13T11:06:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T11:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1984"},"modified":"2026-06-13T11:06:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T11:06:43","slug":"borenstein-the-as-left-oakland-but-they-still-control-the-coliseum-that-must-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1984","title":{"rendered":"Borenstein: The A’s left Oakland but they still control the Coliseum. That must change."},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Warriors moved back to San Francisco. The Raiders left Oakland for Las Vegas. Then the A\u2019s decamped for West Sacramento.<\/p>\n

Read more Folarin Balogun, who could have played for England or Nigeria, scores 2 for US in World Cup debut<\/a><\/p>\n

Yet the baseball team still holds veto power over the future of the 112-acre Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex where the three teams once played.<\/p>\n

The site, with an outdoor stadium and an indoor arena, provides one of the Bay Area\u2019s most desirable properties for development because of its prime transportation access, sandwiched between a BART station and a major freeway.<\/p>\n

But, under a sweetheart 2019 deal scheduled for completion this year, Alameda County agreed to sell its half-interest to the A\u2019s owners, purportedly to incentivize the team to stay in town.<\/p>\n

Amazingly, the deal contained no requirement that the A\u2019s remain in Oakland, set the price without public bidding and put county taxpayers on the hook for environmental hazards.<\/p>\n

If consummated, the sale by the county would join the A\u2019s and the city, which owns the other half-interest, at the hip \u2014 neither able to develop the property without the consent of the other.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there\u2019s an opportunity to unwind that horrible deal and clear the path for long-overdue housing and commercial development.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lucky break made possible by an unexpected confluence of events. The clock is ticking. City and county leaders, who are currently part of complex negotiations over a six-party settlement, must not let this opportunity slip away.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Room for a deal<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The good news is that the A\u2019s, which could just hold their property interest indefinitely, are now open to cutting a deal.<\/p>\n

Back in 2019, team ownership aimed to use development profits from the Coliseum site to help finance a massive housing and ballpark project on the Oakland waterfront next to Jack London Square. That project blew up and the team left town after city officials balked at the team\u2019s excessive demands for taxpayer subsidies.<\/p>\n

Today, \u201cthe real estate market has changed,\u201d says Sandy Dean, an investor in the A\u2019s and the negotiator for John Fisher, the team\u2019s primary owner. \u201cAnd our involvement with Oakland is much less than we had hoped for and envisioned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, music industry mogul Irving Azoff wants to purchase the arena on the Coliseum site, which could provide at least $100 million in critical funding for the complex deal to buy out the A\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe experience in the building will be the best musical experience in the market,\u201d Azoff says. \u201cWe\u2019re 100% committed to doing this if they\u2019ll let me do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The only thing making all this possible is that the 2019 deal has not yet been completed. Bond debt for past stadium improvements had to be paid off first. That finally happened earlier this year.<\/p>\n

But ongoing litigation by an environmental group must still be resolved. That lawsuit is headed for trial in August \u2014 unless a new grand bargain can be reached before then.<\/p>\n

The players<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The ongoing negotiations for a new deal must bridge disparate interests of six entities:<\/p>\n

\u00adCommunities for a Better Environment <\/strong>filed the lawsuit in 2021, alleging the county\u2019s sale to the A\u2019s does not comply with the state\u2019s Surplus Lands Act, which requires publicly owned property first be offered for affordable housing, parks or open space.<\/p>\n

CBE\u2019s attorney, Shana Lazerow, says her group will press its lawsuit unless it receives commitments for affordable housing on the site, as well as transportation and transit improvements, and labor standards guarantees.<\/p>\n

Coliseum Way Partners, <\/strong>an A\u2019s affiliate tied to Fisher and other investors, could recoup the money it has already paid the county under the 2019 deal. Exiting the deal would also spare the group the uncertainty and cost of the environmental group\u2019s lawsuit, which could take years to wind through likely appeals. Under the 2019 terms, the team must cover the costs of fighting the lawsuit and any county losses from it.<\/p>\n

Alameda County<\/strong> could right the wrong of the deal it agreed to nearly seven years ago and benefit from millions of dollars in new property tax revenues from the site\u2019s development. Four of the five county supervisors who approved the deal have died or retired. The fifth, Nate Miley, once an ardent defender of the deal, now tries to distance himself from it.<\/p>\n

Oakland <\/strong>would benefit greatly from a new deal, which would allow the city to finally divorce from the A\u2019s and clear the way for needed housing and commercial development, providing millions of dollars in one-time and ongoing tax revenues for the cash-strapped city.<\/p>\n

Read more Horoscopes June 13, 2026: Kat Dennings, it\u2019s up to you to make things happen<\/a><\/p>\n

Oakland Acquisition Company, <\/strong>a consortium led by Ray Bobbitt and his African American Sports and Entertainment Group with financial backing from the Loop Capital investment banking firm, is the lynchpin of the negotiations. The city chose the group to develop the property.<\/p>\n

Oak View Group<\/strong>, Azoff\u2019s global entertainment company, seeks to buy just the indoor arena, which sits on eight of the complex\u2019s 112 acres. Azoff helped turn the Forum in Inglewood into a world-class concert venue. Now he wants to do the same with the Coliseum arena.<\/p>\n

Deal outline<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The complexity of a new grand bargain became apparent when the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in May released and approved a non-binding term sheet.<\/p>\n

The deal points include:<\/p>\n

\u2022 The A\u2019s would unwind their 2019 agreement in exchange for $115 million from the county.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Oakland Acquisition Company would purchase the county\u2019s half-interest for $115 million.<\/p>\n

\u2022 An \u201carena buyer\u201d would purchase just that venue for at least $100 million, of which half would go to the county to reduce OAC\u2019s $115 million obligation.<\/p>\n

\u2022 OAC\u2019s remaining obligation to the county of about $65 million would be paid off in three installments over no more than seven years with 5% annual interest on the unpaid balance.<\/p>\n

\u2022 OAC, not the county, would assume liability for environmental problems at the site. Unlike under the prior A\u2019s deal, OAC would purchase the county\u2019s interest \u201cas is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 OAC must reach an agreement with Communities for a Better Environment that addresses the group\u2019s demands and permanently dismisses the lawsuit.<\/p>\n

Those deal points must all come together at one time. The last point is critical. If CBE proceeds with its lawsuit in August, all bets are off. But, Bobbitt says, OAC and CBE are very close to an agreement in which the lawsuit would be permanently dismissed.<\/p>\n

There are also other obstacles to overcome.<\/p>\n

First, while OAC has agreed to assume liability for the site\u2019s environmental problems, it wants a \u201ccarve out\u201d for the arena. That is, it wants the county to absorb that liability so that the arena buyer is not scared off.<\/p>\n

But the Board of Supervisors has balked \u2014 with good reason. A big attraction for the county is unloading the Coliseum Complex site \u201cas is,\u201d with no future taxpayer liability. This would undermine that goal.<\/p>\n

If OAC is concerned about an arena buyer backing out, it should take on the liability as it would with the rest of the site. After all, a successful arena will increase the value of development OAC is planning for the land around it.<\/p>\n

Oakland effect<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Then there\u2019s Oakland. The city is not a part of the county term sheet but it controls the other half-interest.<\/p>\n

Oakland has already agreed to sell its share to OAC for $110 million plus $15 million tied to future issuance of building permits. Part of that money could come from the other half of the $100 million-plus from the arena sale.<\/p>\n

Of all the parties, Oakland most needs the grand deal. It would benefit from the sale of its half of the Coliseum; transfer tax on the sale of the Coliseum complex; new annual property tax revenue as the site moves from untaxed public ownership to taxable private land; new taxes on any upgrades to the arena; and, of course, new taxes from housing and commercial development.<\/p>\n

An upgraded arena could also bring additional parking-tax revenue, and city officials are already eyeing a municipal surcharge on arena ticket sales. In sum, this could be a sweet deal for a city.<\/p>\n

And it could be a win for the other parties too. The county and taxpayers escape environmental liability. The developers and their investors profit. Communities for a Better Environment ensures affordable housing on the site. The A\u2019s get their money back, escape more liability for the current litigation and move on. And Azoff fulfills his dream for another destination concert venue.<\/p>\n

The original deal was a lemon. We\u2019ll soon see if the six-way negotiations can turn it into lemonade.<\/p>\n

Read more Asking Eric: How can I fend off the hometown curiosity about my boyfriend?<\/a><\/p>\n

Daniel Borenstein is editor-at-large for the opinion section.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clock ticking on six-party negotiations to unwind agreement that still gives team control over stadium and arena site<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\nBorenstein: The A’s left Oakland but they still control the Coliseum. That must change. - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1984\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Borenstein: The A’s left Oakland but they still control the Coliseum. 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