San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - Baseball commissioner Bud Selig released a
statement Friday saying he was disappointed that San Jose mayor Chuck Reed
would ask the city council to put a ballpark measure on the ballot for
November to approve of a stadium for the Oakland Athletics.
On April 7, 2009, the San Jose city council unanimously voted to reaffirm its
interest in supporting the efforts of A's ownership to move the team to San
Jose.
The A's not only need Selig's approval to move, but also have other obstacles
to overcome. One problem standing in the way is the San Francisco Giants have
territorial rights to Santa Clara County because of a minor league facility
they have in the area. Major league owners would have to vote to remove that
claim to advance the process.
"We were surprised and disappointed by the news today in San Jose about the
stadium referendum," Selig said in a statement. "We were not part of the
process and had no knowledge that a decision to proceed with the election had
been made. A ballot referendum is premature and completely independent of the
ongoing work of the committee which has been in place to thoroughly study this
situation.
"There is an established process in place and the committee will continue its
work unaltered by these actions. Consistent with the ongoing evaluation of the
Oakland A's situation, the committee will meet with me once again this Monday.
As I have said before, the object in this very complicated situation is not to
get it done as fast as possible, but to get it done right."
The A's have played at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum since 1968.
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