There is a "renewed push to sell" the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum site as the ideal home for an A's ballpark development, weeks after the team’s plans to "build near Laney College collapsed," according to David DeBolt of the EAST BAY TIMES. The Coliseum site has the "backing of several Oakland council members and activists, lots of room, and has already passed environmental hurdles, unlike perceived Plan B, Howard Terminal next to Jack London Square" on the waterfront. But A’s President Dave Kaval has "steadfastly refused to consider either one for different reasons, and although fans may not understand why," some ballpark experts "bolster his position." DeBolt: "If there is no second or third or even fourth choice in Oakland, what exactly is the future of the East Bay’s baseball team?" The Peralta Community College Board’s "abrupt decision on Dec. 6 to sever talks with the A’s left the team shocked and Kaval silent." A few days after the decision, Coliseum Authority Exec Dir Scott McKibben said that he "sent a text to Kaval, asking for a sit down." McKibben plans to "make his pitch about a partnership with a 'world class' developer, which sounds similar to a previous plan to build a 'Coliseum City.'" With the Warriors and Raiders leaving Oakland in the next couple of years, "more land at the site would be freed up, opening the option of selling or leasing the land to the A’s and developing around it." At the same time, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley said that supervisors are "reigniting negotiations to possibly sell their half of the Coliseum complex to the city of Oakland." One fewer government entity tied to the land could "smooth out" ballpark talks (EAST BAY TIMES, 12/24).
