John Jefferson
The police union representing the rank-and-file officers in Oakland, California, is demanding proof of initial payments related to the sale of the former home of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, citing possible cuts to public safety at a time when the city is already struggling to combat crime and facing a potential budget crisis.
Under a new deal reported by The Mercury News, the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG) will pay $105 million to the city in one payment for its 50% share of the Oakland Coliseum.
Under a previous agreement, the buyers would have made incremental payments over a period of months — $10 million by Oct. 7 and an additional $95 million by May 30, 2025, on top of the $5 million the city has already received, the newspaper reported.
AASEG is separately acquiring the venue’s other half ownership share from the A’s for $125 million.
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“We demand actual verification of what is going on with this sale,” Oakland Police Officers’ Association President Huy Nguyen said in a statement. “It’s strange and weird that the mayor says one thing and city council members say another. Why doesn’t everyone know if payments have been made or not?”
This week, some City Council members and the police union raised concerns that the promised initial $15 million payment had not been received. Over the summer, lawmakers approved a contingency budget that would go into effect if the payments were not received.
Revenue from the deal would be used to pay city workers and operating costs.
Under the budget, cuts would be made to police staffing and fire stations. The lawmakers said the contingency budget would reduce the number of Oakland police officers to 600, temporarily close five fire stations and pause all city contracts, according to Fox San Francisco.
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“CHP (California Highway Patrol) has been here almost every night of the week helping us out … hitting our high-crime areas and major thoroughfares,” OPOA Vice President Sgt. Tim Dolan said. “If anything is keeping crime at a minimum right now, it’s having the Highway Patrol in the City of Oakland.”
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, who is facing a recall election in November, said no contingency budget has been triggered, and the deal was on track.
“The AASEG deal is on track. No contingencies have been triggered that weren’t already in place,” the mayor’s office told Fox News Digital. “All relevant information will be presented to the City Council in closed session and at the Finance and Management Committee meetings, in accordance with appropriate and legal noticing requirements.”
AASEG’s Ray Bobbitt told the news station his group has made all the required payments thus far.
Fox News Digital has reached out to AASEG. The City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the matter.
The A’s played their final game at the stadium last week. The team had called the stadium home since 1968, before owner John Fisher decided to relocate the franchise to Las Vegas after a long fight between him and the city to keep the team in the Bay Area.
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