We’re going to do whatever it takes to make sure Nevada prioritizes funding schools over a California billionaire. But we need your help. Donate today!
$380M in public funding to a billionaire is a swing and a miss for our kids. Nevada politicians have spent more time planning a world class stadium than they have ensuring a world class education for our kids. Let's change that!
#SchoolsOverStadiums
There's been a lot of righteous outrage over this post from Assemblymember Danielle Gallant, who voted to authorize up to $380M in public financing for the A's (then received a $1K campaign contribution from the direct beneficiary). Some thoughts...
#SchoolsOverSchools
When we finally kill the Tropicana stadium deal, it will be a combination of these Oakland A’s fans, our efforts at
#SchoolsOverStadiums
and Strong Public Schools, and John Fisher’s ineptitude.
#SellTheTeam
🚨POLLING ALERT🚨
A majority of Las Vegas voters OPPOSE public money going towards a baseball stadium for the
#Athletics
!
This is why billionaires sue teachers. If it's on the ballot, we win. We can stop this
#StadiumScam
in November! Donate here:
The June meeting of the Las Vegas Stadium Authority was supposed to be today. It seems like Fisher still doesn’t have his financing.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
#SellTheTeam
“Schools Over Stadiums was once dismissed publicly, but now the A's are among a group that is suing the educators… There may be more worry about the challenge than has been let on publicly.”
#SellTheTeam
In baseball terms: John Fisher has a good second inning against Nevada educators, but we get the top of the order back up in the third. Lots of game left to be played, and we’ve got some surprises in store for the middle innings.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
#SellTheTeam
With all eyes on Las Vegas, it was a super week for
@EduOverStadiums
. Lawsuit filed. LV Mayor -- the A's should stay in Oakland. National press questioning state
#priorities
. Now the A's are looking to extend at the Coliseum. They are on the ropes. Keep the pressure on!
The Nevada educator-led group fighting against $380 million in public subsidies for a baseball park on the Las Vegas Strip has sent a formal complaint to the state alleging two of the plan’s highest-profile presenters engaged in illegal lobbying activity.
This afternoon, John Fisher’s
@Athletics
will be hauling Nevada educators into court to argue against our effort to give the voters a say in whether Nevada should prioritize
#SchoolsOverStadiums
.
“Republican Assemblywoman Danielle Gallant’s post shows that she didn’t fully understand the funding plan she voted for in a June special session of the Nevada Legislature.”
#SchoolsOverStadiums
Good morning! Did you know that John Fisher has made almost no progress on financing his new Las Vegas stadium in the last 10 months?
#nvleg
#SellTheTeam
The A’s have no plan for financing if our litigation is successful. But let’s be real, they have no plan even if we aren’t.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
#SellTheTeam
When it comes to doing the right thing, never trust a bunch of billionaires. The good news is everyday people can still have a say, and together, we will choose
#SchoolsOverStadiums
.
While this news was expected, it's still a blow to educators trying to right Nevada priorities and Oakland A’s fans fighting to keep their hometown team. With litigation & referendum,
#SchoolsOverStadiums
is now likely the biggest obstacle to the A’s move to Las Vegas.
“If there was an adverse development with respect to that referendum, that would be a significant development,” Manfred said Friday, before Game 1 of the World Series. “That’s all I can say about that.”
#SchoolsOverStadiums
Should be noted: While the Trop site is not in city limits, Las Vegas is Nevada’s largest city. Its 656k residents should have a say on where their state tax dollars go.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
“If Schools Over Stadiums succeeds and the measure is voted down, a new funding gap would be created in the $1.5B project and threaten the timing of the planned 2028 opening of the ballpark.”
@EduOverStadiums
MLB is on track to vote next month on the Oakland A’s planned relocation to Las Vegas.
The team is hoping to begin construction in April 2025 and completed work in January 2028.
However, Rob Manfred has acknowledged one potential legal obstacle »
As my colleague
@AlexMarksNV
frequently points out when Jeremy Aguero talks about how great Allegiant Stadium has been for Nevada. Before Allegiant, Nevada schools ranked 46th in per pupil funding. Now we rank 48th. Thanks for all the help, Allegiant Stadium!
A blast from SF’s political past could help shoot down the Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas, as former supervisor Chris Daly is now the political director for a Nevada ballot measure and lawsuit that could be Oakland fans’ ace in the hole to keep the team.
A few things to keep in mind when reading this fluff piece on Jeremy Aguero. First, Aguero is currently on the A’s payroll and has been since he presented the A’s bill to the legislature. He failed to disclose this relationship while providing his “objective analysis” there.
Often working behind the scenes, Jeremy Aguero isn’t a household name in Nevada.
But the well-connected analyst and consultant has spent more than 25 years shaping the state's policies.
@s_golonka
reports:
What happens if the A’s lose (public) funding? Then they are back to square one. Anything is possible from there, including Fisher’s heeding the chants heard in Oakland and other MLB stadiums of
#SellTheTeam
.
@owenpoindexter
#SchoolsOverStadiums
Fisher: A’s are working w/ Bally’s and GLPI now to include the planned resort along with the Vegas ballpark in new renderings. Which is why there is a delay.
#vegas
#athletics
#mlb
Great working with so many Oakland fans who value community and have a strong sense of right and wrong. Thank you
@LastDiveBar
@AsHotDog
and so many others. We will keep fighting the good fight together.
🚨$40,000🚨
As we wrap things up, we cannot thank you enough. Since day 1, Oakland fans have been incredible. Advocating for what we believe is right is easy with great partners. Let’s keep it up!
@LastDiveBar
@Oakland68s
@AsHotDog
#BlockPartyBoycott
The discussion of race has never been that Oakland matches the diversity of players. It’s that racial inequities are real, and
@MLB
should take some responsibility as they consider uprooting a team from one of the most diverse cities and fan bases in the country.
In the end, I think the point of Gallant's post is largely the same as the A's stadium deal. It delivers for billionaires and gaming. It distracts from the real problems facing Nevada. And ultimately, it's about misplaced priorities.
First, why would a legislator feel compelled to provide a vote explanation 10 months after making the vote. You can probably find that answer in publication like Reason
"With $380 million in public money going to help fund the $1.5 billion stadium project, a group called Schools Over Stadiums is pushing for a ballot referendum that would put the use of tax dollars to a vote."
@EduOverStadiums
back in
@espn
.
NEWS: A Nevada teachers union, through a political action committee, has sued the state and Gov. Joe Lombardo to block the bill that gives the A's $380 million in stadium funding.
A major investor in
@BallysCorp
has written a letter to the Board saying management doesn't know what their doing:
"Bally’s should not, nor has the standalone capacity, to be in the business of “bet the company” projects."
Read every word:
’s-Corporation
For weeks, stadium proponents dismissed
#SchoolsOverStadiums
petition effort, saying it wouldn’t impact their stadium plans, but now they are suing educators for not fully describing the petition’s “substantive impacts” on the project. So which one is it?
#SellTheTeam
“Representatives from the Oakland A’s deferred any comment on the lawsuit to their attorney, Bradley Schrager. Schrager did not immediately respond to a phone call and text requesting comment.” Shocker.
#SellTheTeam
@AlexMarksNV
This could be part of the non-response to
@EduOverStadiums
referendum. Misdirection while trying to take some air out of Oakland opposition to the move. Steal the team, expand to Nashville and somewhere else in 5 years. Not buying it.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
Forgive our *SENATE SEAT COULD BE LOST FOR GENERATIONS* vibe, but today is a big day for our efforts to block $380M from John Fisher. If you’re planning to donate to Schools Over Stadiums, do it today. Thanks.
.
@mickakers
changing the subject from the A’s brutal “home games away” news cycle— Look, new uniforms! Hey, MLB could play the WS at a neutral site in Las Vegas! Wow, residents can give input on stadium design! But each one backfires making matters even worse.
#SellTheTeam
Fisher: Yesterday we had a meeting with Mortenson-McCarthy and designers… we are moving at speed to hopefully open our ballpark by 2028.
#vegas
#athletics
#mlb
SB1 gives Fisher until 12/15 to enter into a development agreement with the Stadium Authority. Before that, Fisher must put together financing. No wonder he's a "wee bit concerned" about this litigation...
#SchoolsOverStadiums
“With the referendum, the clock could run out on the union. With the lawsuit, the clock could run out on the A’s. So, this week, the A’s asked the court to let them intervene in the lawsuit.”
#SchoolsOverStadiums
Las Vegas voters turned against the stadium, and this is not a partisan issue. Much of the opposition to public handouts to the likes of John Fisher comes from the right, or at least more libertarian components of the right. Gallant is likely hearing it from her Republican base.
Even the judge siding against us noted he is “probably more passionate towards building schools than I am stadiums”. We make the ballot, we win.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
So, sorry Assemblymember. The state and taxpayers are on the hook for up to $380M (plus debt service), and, no, John Fisher hasn't yet found the private financing to cover the balance of the stadium project.
Review Journal’s
@mickakers
is one special reporter. What Mick doesn’t mention is it’s been 9 months since the passage of SB1, and Fisher still doesn’t have financing (a requirement before negotiation of a development agreement.)
Important story but not the whole story — registered lobbyists for the A’s and their firms donated another $200K to state and local officials last year. $313,518.38 in direct and indirect contributions.
#SellTheTeam
#SchoolsOverStadiums
The Oakland A's gave to 41 of the 63 members of the Nevada State Legislature, including 10 lawmakers who voted against their $380m public assistance package.
Did anyone else notice Jeremy Aguero boasting about how more than half the fans are from out of town? That may work for the NFL, but it certainly won’t for a mid-week series against the A’s.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
#SellTheTeam
When we launched
#SchoolsOverStadiums
in June, this is what it's about - priorities. If the state can find hundreds of millions for stadiums, it should be able to find them for schools. Stadiums, even with the 'promise' of revenue have not fixed a single issue in education.
Here are A's owner John Fisher's entire comments from the MLB Press Conference in Arlington.
"Today is an incredibly difficult day for Oakland A's fans. It's a great day for Las Vegas."
This evening,
#SchoolsOverStadiums
appeared on KTNV 13 to discuss the reverse boycott at the Coliseum over the weekend and how one of Oakland's best bets for keeping the team is to stop the use of public funds in Nevada for the stadium.
#Priorities
#SellTheTeam
Since an earlier agreement with Goldman Sachs fell through, Fisher has been looking for private financing from Las Vegas investors. Apparently this hasn't been going well for him. "Are we alive back there?"
Biggest news of the day in Steve Hill’s opening remarks— there will be no Stadium Authority meeting in June. That means no Development Agreement before July.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
#SellTheTeam
Today,
@AlexMarksNV
&
@superdaly
provided comment at the Stadium Authority. While we organize around a 2026 referendum to ensure that Nevadans can decide if they want to pay for a billionaire’s stadium, we still have our constitutional challenge against SB1.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
We know every reputable economist that has looked at the impact of these stadium deals has come to the same conclusion. They never work out for the public.
John Fisher may be a California billionaire, but the
@Athletics
are owned by Athletics Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.
#SellTheTeam
“The idea of giving corporate welfare to a billionaire like [A’s owner] John Fisher when teachers are fighting for a livable working wage and hotel and restaurant industry folks are worried about losing their jobs is hard to accept.”
#SchoolsOverStadiums
The Las Vegas Review Journal says
@NSEAOnline
“swings and misses” with our referendum. They go on to say we are “about to hit into a triple play.” I think that new pitch clock may have forced the RJ into a balk.
Nevada voters should decide whether their tax dollars are used to subsidize a CA billionaire’s stadium. Schools Over Stadiums will be in court on November 6th defending our petition. We are confident we’ll be on the streets collecting signatures in the following weeks.
Assemblymember Gallant continues, saying the A's are going to bring billions of tax dollars to the state and talks specifically about employment and tourism. Clearly, these projections are totally unsubstantiated, and Gallant hasn't been to an A's game since Fisher took over.
In prepared remarks on Bally Corp. Q2 conference call, CEO Robeson Reeves mentions the A's stadium project on the site of the
@TropLV
"The planning process is only in the beginning phase. We will share additional details as they emerge over the next 18 to 24 months."
@TheNVIndy
“The teacher-led Schools Over Stadiums PAC is likely the best shot at stopping the funding from Nevada from making its way to the A's.”
#SchoolsOverStadiums
#SellTheTeam
Thursday’s relocation vote was meant to be taken as the final step for the A’s to land in Las Vegas. It’s not. There are still three ways this could easily fall apart. ⤵️
“Virtually nothing” means hosting a “teacher appreciation night” after siphoning hundreds of millions away from schools and then suing teachers to keep those funds.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
Nevada legislators catch a lot of flack for voting for the
#StadiumScam
, but we should remember the special session was called and SB1 was sponsored and signed into law by Joe Lombardo. The stadium stink sticks to Joe Lombardo.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
"The A’s have yet to specifically announce how the team would finance the remaining $1.1 billion for the project."
You'd think Gov. Lombardo would have asked for a plan before signing away $380M in public money for a stadium...
#SchoolsOverStadiums
You all remember Steve Hill, Aguero's partner in crime at the SB1 hearings? He's the chair of the stadium board and just hired *HIS OWN AGENCY* at $600k/year to oversee stadium dealings.
#NVLeg
might be okay with corruption like this but we voters have to put a stop to it!
Las Vegas Stadium Authority agenda says they will discuss a draft development agreement at their meeting in less than 90 minutes, but there’s still no document posted. This hinders the public’a ability to engage.
Tomorrow I’ll be in Oakland raising funds for
#SchoolsOverStadiums
. We’ll be talking Nevada school funding versus corporate welfare for billionaire sports owners, stadium politics, and the future of the Oakland A’s. Oh, yeah, and maybe we’ll trash talk John Fisher too.
Smart people on this platform (many of whom are actual economists) have also pointed out that the stadium would be owned by the authority but leased to the A's, allowing the A's to accrue the benefits while avoiding payment of property taxes.
We'd like to thank everyone for their support and donations since the release.
To beat the A's and their well funded lobbyists, we will need all the help we can get. Please make a donation and share this link far and wide:
#SchoolsOverStadiums
As Oakland A’s fans demand John Fisher
#SellTheTeam
, educators in Nevada are calling for
#SchoolsOverStadiums
. While this could be seen as just a tactical alliance, the connection feels like something bigger.
#Solidarity
.
Still incredible to me that the
#Athletics
fans can consistently mobilize these types of efforts to warn the world about the current ownership... and Nevada still disregarded every warning and gave John Fisher $380M in public money...
#SellTheTeam
#AllStarGame
Steve Hill just said after 30 years, it may be difficult to demolish the stadium, because there won't be any open space around the venue. Ummm.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
“You would think that three decades’ worth of evidence would be enough to put an end to the practice of subsidizing sports stadiums. Unfortunately, you would be wrong.” But that research along with grassroots organizing is turning the tide.
#SchoolsOverStadiums
"Stadiums do not come close to generating enough economic activity to pay back the public investment involved in building them...Economically speaking, stadium subsidies mostly just transfer wealth from taxpayers to the owners of sports franchises."
MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle on the
@Athletics
Las Vegas Stadium:
"We're waiting to see where it lands. I have to believe in the next 30 to 60 days we should find out more. I've been shown three versions of it now in terms of where it'll actually sit on the site."
@TheNVIndy
@mickakers
While it makes sense Kaval has no plan to actually make the World Series, why would the MLB be willing to play such big games in a 33,000 seat venue? This story is bad, even my Mick Akers standards.
Mick Akers isn’t just a local reporter, he also sells tickets in his spare time! “Tickets for both games are still available starting at $35 via Ticketmaster!”