It feels like the A's relocation nightmare will never end... or perhaps the future of the Oakland Athletics franchise will be clearer than ever through Wednesday, June 7th.
Late on Tuesday, Jaclyn Schultz of FOX 5 Vegas reported that there will be a new, special session tackling the issue of the A's stadium on Wednesday morning starting at 10 a.m. PT already scheduled by lawmakers with the governor's office expected to officially announce in the next few hours.
10 AM BALLPARK SPECIAL SESSION
— Jaclyn Schultz (@JaclynFOX5Vegas) June 7, 2023
Lawmakers are gearing up for another special session Wednesday morning to tackle the Oakland A's ballpark bill. The governor's office is set to announce it. ⁰The bill never left its first committee, last week. ⁰@FOX5Vegas
It's been a hectic couple of months for the A's faithful, but everything points toward a grand finale reaching the shores of the Bay Area as soon as today.
Even though the legislative session deadline was set forJune 5th and it's already on the rearview mirror, all parties involved in the relocation of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas are determined to keep pushing their personal agendas on their way to vanishing the A's from the Bay.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao told Casey Pratt in an interview released on Tuesday that "the city and the A's are on the verge of striking a deal," should they decide to reopen negotiations.
Sheng Thao also stated that "I would 100 percent take that call," in the event of a call from A's owner John Fisher. "I would cancel my meetings and have a meeting with them," Sheng Thao added.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has called for a second special session after Tuesday's, this fresh one scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT, specifically to address the A's ballpark bill (SB509). That is hella worrying if we're honest.
Even though it's hard to come up with a solid prediction about what might or might not be awaiting right around the corner of Wednesday morning, the truth is that this second special is rather alarming.
There was a hard no hitting the relocation plans in the middle of their forehead just hours ago, but with multiple re-calls for more sessions it all feels like a shady ploy to push this through no matter what.
Definitely, Lombardo & Co. are not giving a damn about the feelings of both Las Vegas and Oakland natives, who all oppose the construction of a new stadium in the Strip and the move away from the Bay respectively.
It's very obvious a deal may have already been reached between the honchos interested in this relocation and the building of the stadium on the Tropicana land and they will force the issue until they get it across the finish line.
As Jason Burke put it earlier today, recent reports suggest that the bill has been losing support among lawmakers, partly due to its unpopularity among their constituents. Online polls conducted among Nevada residents consistently show over 70% disapproval, and out of the 17 letters submitted in relation to the legislation, 15 express opposition.
Wednesday's session could simply be a procedural step to officially vote on SB509, allowing Governor Joe Lombardo to claim that he supported the bill and facilitated a vote. That's the goal for J-Lom. The minute everything left to green-light the move is his signature, the deal will be sealed and delivered.
Wednesday's special will takle the A's stadium bill as is, with no changes from the past two meetings and no-pass results in the sessions held in the past few days.
We've been repeating this for months, weeks, and days on end... but today might actually, really, for real be the day when we all come to know everything about the future of Athletics and whether we should expect to keep rooting for the Oakland A's or if the franchise will set up camp in Las Vegas a few years from now.