Coliseum Officials Approve Oakland A's Lease Extension
OAKLAND (KCBS) - A 10-year lease extension for the A's at the Oakland Coliseum was approved Thursday by stadium officials, after contentious negotiations that raised the possibility the baseball team might quickly depart from Oakland without a deal.
The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Joint Powers Authority approved terms that includes a $500,000 rent reduction for the A's in exchange for the team installing a $10 million scoreboard that will stay at the Coliseum.
The surprise 6 – 2 vote came after A's owner Lew Wolff threatened that he would immediately start shopping for a new home, on the authority of Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.
Angry Oakland Raiders fans rallying outside the closed door meeting accused the board of caving in after an e-mail Wolff sent to Coliseum officials Wednesday night.
The four board members who had boycotted the JPA meeting the week before, after Oakland city officials raised questions about the terms of the deal touted by Wolff, were split when the lease extension was finally put to a vote.
Two of them, Oakland City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan and sports agent Aaron Goodwin, voted against the lease extension.
The deal must still be approved by the Oakland City Council and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.