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Supporters of baseball in S.J. ponder next move

By Barry Witt
Mercury News

Posted on Sun, Nov. 06, 2005

As San Jose moves ahead in attempting to attract the Oakland A's, the city's baseball boosters are pondering a classic question:

Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

Here's why: The city can't simply call up A's owner Lew Wolff and negotiate a deal for a new ballpark because baseball's rulers have placed San Jose in the territory of the San Francisco Giants.

So the city council -- which is set to take its first formal step on Tuesday toward preparing for a November 2006 ballot measure -- may have to decide between one of two strategies:

"¢ Put a speculative ballpark plan with a specified public subsidy on the ballot in hopes of gaining voter approval. An affirmative vote could then be used to demonstrate to the A's and baseball's leaders exactly how good an opportunity exists in San Jose, giving them an incentive to alter the Bay Area's baseball territories. Let's call that the egg.

"¢ Or, wait to see if the A's give up on building a new ballpark within the team's existing territory -- Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The hope at that point would be that the team would seek a deal with San Jose, which then could be delivered to voters for an up or down decision. That would be the chicken.

Under any circumstance, use of public money for a baseball stadium will require a public vote under existing city law.

``There's no question it's a stronger case if the A's are on board,'' said Michael Mulcahy, a businessman and leader of the Baseball San Jose booster group, which is made up of local business and government leaders. ``But if you wait until you get a commitment from them, you may have already missed the opportunity.''

Mayor Ron Gonzales hasn't revealed what his strategy is as he pursues his commitment, made in February, to ``submit a proposal to Major League Baseball to bring a team to San Jose.'' Members of the booster group and others on the city council say they don't know what Gonzales wants to do either.

But here's another consideration being pondered by some civic leaders: Is Gonzales the right person to carry the message to voters?

Battered in recent months by accusations that he deceived the city council and public on the city's garbage hauling contract, he could be too damaged politically to rally voters to spend public money on a stadium. Despite the mayor's record of success in getting voters to approve higher taxes for transportation, police and fire, parks, and libraries, some boosters say privately it might be better for his successor, who will take office on Jan. 1, 2007, to lead the charge.

The mayor's spokesman said that is not the issue. ``Ron still commands a great deal of respect,'' said David Vossbrink.

The city council on Tuesday is expected to make two moves on the ballpark issue. In one, it will agree to pay $5.7 million for the former Stephen's Meat Products plant, a one-acre parcel at South Montgomery and West San Fernando streets. That's the first of what could be about $60 million in real estate acquisitions to assemble a 13.5-acre ballpark site.

In a second action, the council is expected to approve spending $700,000 on environmental and other ballpark-related feasibility studies, including a contract with the Kansas City, Mo.-based HOK ballpark architectural firm, in order to have the work completed in time for a ballot measure next year.

``What we're doing right now is getting the pieces in order to go to voters when the time is right,'' Vossbrink said. ``If it's with a team or not is not something Ron has decided yet.''

The A's are still focused on Oakland. In August, Wolff proposed creating a ``ballpark village'' along Interstate 880 north of McAfee Coliseum and said he wanted to know by April 1 whether it was a feasible solution. The idea is sufficiently complex that few observers inside Oakland and out believe it can be implemented, but Wolff also has said he is open to other locations in Oakland.

``We're going to try to stay within our territory,'' Wolff said in an interview last week. ``There may be some other opportunities in Alameda County.''

Wolff would not comment on San Jose's pursuit of his team and would not speculate on whether he might someday ask Major League Baseball for permission to pursue a ballpark in Santa Clara County.

``At this point, I'm not asking,'' he said.

If Wolff does not seek discussions with San Jose next spring, then city leaders will have to choose which strategy to pursue. The council would have to act by early August to put a measure on the November ballot.

Some boosters believe reaching a ballpark deal with the A's and the team's active endorsement of a ballot measure is vital if voters are going to support it.

``I don't think you can pass a ballot measure unless you have a team in hand,'' said Larry Stone, the Santa Clara County assessor who has led many attempts to bring baseball to the South Bay. Speaking of Gonzales' interest in trying for voter approval next year, Stone said, ``I can understand his interest in getting a deal done in his term as mayor, but you've got to let things play out in order.''

Councilman Dave Cortese, a mayoral candidate and Baseball San Jose member, agreed.

``I don't think doing anything on spec on the ballot makes sense,'' he said.

Others aren't so sure.

``The perfect world would be to go to the ballot with a deal in place, but I don't know if circumstances will allow that,'' said attorney Jim Eller, another Baseball San Jose leader. ``There's an enthusiasm to do this sooner rather than later. The longer you wait, the more chance there is for some intervening force to prevent San Jose from getting a baseball team.''

If the city waits to go to the ballot until a deal with the A's is in place, it may never get that deal in the first place. Some sports team owners historically have refused to make deals involving franchise moves if such a move was dependent on voter approval.

A November 2006 measure could mean voters will face two major spending items on the same ballot. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority may also be asking for voter approval of a quarter-cent sales tax next year to pay for a BART extension and other transit projects.

One of the reasons the Raiders' return to Oakland was rushed through by government leaders in a matter of weeks in 1995 was because of a fear by both the team and civic leaders that voters would reject it if the issue ever got on the ballot. Likewise, in the face of polling data showing public opposition to the deal, Major League Baseball approved the Montreal Expos move to Washington, D.C., last year knowing it required only a city council vote to complete the deal, which included new taxes.

That's not the case in San Jose, where a ballot measure is required.

Some members of the city council doubt whether 2006 makes sense for such a vote, however, in light of the controversy over Gonzales' private dealings with Norcal Waste Systems, the city garbage hauler.

Councilman Ken Yeager said the coming weeks, when an investigator's report is due on the garbage matter, will show whether Gonzales will be strong enough in 2006 to run a campaign.

``It will be determined by what happens with Norcal,'' he said.

The mayor's office said a decision on moving forward with a ballot measure will not rest on the mayor's reputation, but rather on other factors, such as the state of the local economy.

Said Vossbrink: ``He would lead a campaign when things are shown they will be successful and not when you don't have the forces lined up to be successful.''

Contact Barry Witt at bwitt@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5703.

quote:

``The perfect world would be to go to the ballot with a deal in place, but I don't know if circumstances will allow that,'' said attorney Jim Eller, another Baseball San Jose leader. ``There's an enthusiasm to do this sooner rather than later. The longer you wait, the more chance there is for some intervening force to prevent San Jose from getting a baseball team.''

"Some intervening force" is Portland, **** it!



BB