San Jose’s “attempts to lure the A’s to the South Bay, which were already on life support, have been dealt a potentially deadly blow -- thanks to a court ruling that the city should have sought voter approval for setting aside a piece of downtown real estate for a new ballpark,” according to Matier & Ross of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Superior Court Judge Joseph Huber in his decision last month said, “The city is and has been in violation of (the law) for several years and it does not appear it will comply with the terms in the foreseeable future.” The judge “backed a lawsuit to block the city’s potential sale of the land to the A’s” brought by Stand for San Jose -- a citizens group that “has close ties to the Giants” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/6). In San Jose, Howard Mintz notes the City Council yesterday “voted to appeal” the decision. City Attorney Rick Doyle said that San Jose officials “do not believe that the state case involving the option agreement will have any bearing on the Supreme Court outcome, noting that San Jose always planned on conducting a local vote on the pact if MLB approval for an A's move ever materialized” (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 5/6).
