The A’s fan group the Oakland 68s have “begun collaborating” with a group of Nevada educators to stymie the $380M public financing package signed into law in June that has “all but assured the team’s move to the Las Vegas Strip,” according to Casey Harrison of the LAS VEGAS SUN. Earlier this month, Schools Over Stadiums had its first fundraiser, raising “several thousands” at an event attended by about roughly 40 people in Oakland. Harrison noted the organization is “planning to challenge SB 1’s approval, whether it be through a petition drive or litigation.” While the two groups “goals are different,” the factions have formed a “symbiotic relationship universally opposed” to the proposed $1.5B ballpark slated to be built on the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue. NSEA and Schools Over Stadiums Governing Affairs Coordinator Chris Daly said that whichever route Schools Over Stadiums ultimately decides to take to challenge SB 1 “will be decided in the coming weeks,” but it “seems the path will involve a petition drive of some sort, whether to repeal SB 1 altogether or amend it currently as written.” While many within the A’s fan group the 68s are “eager to help Schools Over Stadiums,” others are “waiting to see whether the buzz online can translate into genuine political action.” If the “support is there to add a SB 1 referendum to the ballot in 2024,” a presidential election year, officials with Schools Over Stadiums said that they are “confident they can convince voters to reject the ballpark proposal” (LAS VEGAS SUN, 8/27).
