A's Planned Ballpark Village A Hot Topic In Fremont Mayoral Race

Fremont Mayoral Candidates Have Varying  Opinions On A's Ballpark Village Plan

The A's plan to build a $1.8M "ballpark village" near their planned 32,000-seat ballpark in Fremont, California, is the "main issue in the Fremont mayoral race," according to Carolyn Jones of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman, "supports the project as it was submitted to the city a year ago." But one of Wasserman's two opponents, former Fremont Mayor Gus Morrison, said the ballpark plan is "full of problems and doesn't offer any solutions." Morrison: "Economically it doesn't make any sense, and the traffic and parking elements are a big problem. There's lots of things wrong with it." The third candidate, Fremont City Councilman Steve Cho, said that the city's voters "should get a chance to decide on the plan" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/19). A's Owner Lew Wolff, who also is planning to build a soccer-specific stadium for the MLS Earthquakes, said that "anyone who thinks either project is dead as a result of the economy is wrong." Wolff: "We have not stopped anything we're doing." Wolff would not disclose "what financing he'll use if his residential-development idea fails" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/19).

TOUGH SELL: In S.F., Tom FitzGerald wrote aside from the "political and financial obstacles facing the 49ers in their pursuit of a new stadium in Santa Clara, they may have trouble selling naming rights." Neither the 49ers nor Raiders have a naming-rights sponsor for their stadium. Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente said of the two stadiums being without entitlements, "Yes, undoubtedly it's the economy. We're working with a couple of corporations I'm not at liberty to name. Obviously we're not going to sell it for just anything, but we're looking for a reasonable deal" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/20).