California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that will "prevent environmental complaints from significantly stalling the construction of a new ballpark" for the A's should the team "choose to build" at the Howard Terminal location, according to Kimberly Veklerov of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Under the bill, signed Sunday, legal challenges to the project "must be resolved within 270 days." In return, the A's have "promised to adhere to a host of environmental measures, including traffic mitigation and green building standards." The law "applies only to a possible ballpark" at the Howard Terminal site. The team has "not yet announced" whether it will build a ballpark at Howard Terminal or stay at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, which has "already cleared environmental reviews." A's President Dave Kaval said that the new law "ensures that a ballpark would be ready" for a '23 opening. Kaval also said that the team is currently "working out economic terms of potential land deals" at both potential sites (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/1).
CLIPPING THE RED TAPE: In L.A., Mirjam Swanson notes Brown also signed a bill that will protect the Clippers plans to construct a new arena from "extended environmental litigation," and will "limit the windows for lawsuits, including appeals, for the project to nine months." The Clippers "hope to open" a new arena in Inglewood in '24. The bill "requires the Clippers to employ a 'skilled and trained workforce,'" and hire 30% of their employees "locally." Other sports facility proposals that have "obtained similar legislative protection from such litigation" include the Warriors' Chase Center and the NBA Kings' Golden 1 Center. The Clippers' proposed Inglewood project has been "met with opposition from a pair of community groups" and the owners of the nearby Forum, the longtime former home of the Lakers (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 10/2).
