This poll marks the first time voters have been offered a straight-up preference between the two sitesGETTY IMAGES
A poll of 500 Oakland voters found that 62% "would pick the current Coliseum site" over Howard Terminal to be the home of a new A's ballpark, while 29% would choose the "waterfront site at the Port of Oakland," according to Phil Matier of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The poll marks the "first time voters have been offered a straight-up preference question between the two locations." The poll also appears aimed at "countering a poll of 601 likely voters commissioned by the Oakland Chamber of Commerce and conducted by FM3 Research four months ago" that found 68% of voters "supported a privately financed ballpark on the waterfront." The new poll showing the preference for the Coliseum location also included "several 'educational' statements highlighting the potential infrastructure improvement costs and the possible negative impacts the development could have on the port." After hearing those statements about the Howard Terminal plan, "support for the Coliseum site grew to 75%." Ultimately, the choice "will be up to the Oakland City Council," which may explain the new poll's final question to voters: "If an Oakland City Council member voted to 'spend hundreds of millions of public tax money to support building a new Oakland A's ballpark at Howard Terminal, would you be more or less likely to vote for that council member or against them in the next election?'" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/10).
