An Emerson College poll conducted last week “revealed that 52% of Las Vegas voters oppose public money going towards the A’s ballpark, while only 32% support and 17% remain undecided,” according to Jason Mastrodonato of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. But the “issue might not make it to the voters, depending on a ruling by the Nevada Supreme Court.” Judges in Carson City, Nevada, heard oral arguments yesterday, when lobbyists for the A’s “sided against Schools Over Stadiums,” a political action group formed by school teachers who “have been trying to start a petition to get a referendum on the ballot in November.” The bill signed last year that will give the A’s $380M in tax credits and bonds to build their new ballpark. The teachers are “willing to amend the petition, but are awaiting a ruling from the court.” Lobbyists for the A’s “first sued the teachers last November.” A district judge “ruled in favor of the A’s, but the teachers appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court.” They had to “wait almost six months for a court date.” Waiting much longer “could be a costly blow in their attempt to collect more than 100,000 signatures by June 26.” Mastrodonato noted if the judges rule in favor of the teachers, they “can begin collecting signatures immediately.” However, the judges “could throw out the petition altogether.” The teachers are “also pursuing another avenue to stop the public funding from getting to the A’s with a lawsuit arguing that Senate Bill 1 is unconstitutional because it was passed by Nevada lawmakers without a supermajority” (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 4/9).
