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Officials go to bat at rally for San Jose baseball team
FUNDING QUESTION: COUNCIL MEMBERS UNABLE TO SAY WHERE MONEY WILL COME FROM:
By Barry Witt
The San Jose Mercury News

A solid majority of San Jose's city council members declared their support Friday for a new effort to bring major league baseball to the city, speaking before a modest-size noontime audience of about 250 people.

The rally marked the first public step in what promises to be a long process of identifying a ballpark site, figuring out how to pay for it and getting baseball owners to revoke the San Francisco Giants' right to prevent any competition in the South Bay.

``I believe in baseball,'' said Councilman Forrest Williams, who represents South San Jose and was one of seven council members to take the stage and throw out symbolic first pitches. ``We want a baseball team now.''

The rally was sponsored by a group called Baseball San Jose, which wants to demonstrate there is sufficient support among residents to pay the cost of luring the Oakland A's southward, or, if the A's ever left the Bay Area, some other team.

In their brief remarks, none of the council members addressed how much taxpayer money they were willing to offer for a ballpark, and in interviews afterward they said they didn't know. City law requires a public referendum on any proposed ballpark expenditure.

``We have no idea what the final number is going to be,'' said Ken Yeager, who represents the Willow Glen and Rose Garden areas, including the former Del Monte cannery that baseball boosters see as a potential ballpark site.

Noticeably absent from the rally was Mayor Ron Gonzales, who during his 1998 campaign said any ballpark proposal should include ``minimal public financial involvement.'' His spokesman said the mayor had a staff meeting.

Councilman David Cortese, a board member of Baseball San Jose, told the rally that Gonzales had ``communicated to me how excited he is'' about the group's efforts. The other council members in attendance were Nora Campos, Cindy Chavez, Pat Dando and Linda LeZotte.

In addition to establishing public support, one of Baseball San Jose's first priorities is to undo the Giants' territorial rights to Santa Clara County. Current baseball rules give the Giants the right to the county, prohibiting the A's -- or any other team -- from playing there.

``San Jose will no longer be a sports colony to San Francisco,'' Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone told the rally. ``We're going to declare our independence right now.''

Giants owner Peter Magowan has said he would not give up rights to Santa Clara County because fans and corporate interests who buy seats and suites at SBC Park are vital to his club's success. But A's owner Steve Schott has shown a willingness to challenge those rights, telling the Santa Clara City Council three years ago he wanted to move the team there. For now, however, the A's say their focus on finding a new ballpark is confined to their own territory, Alameda and Contra Costa counties.