Oakland ballpark opponents got smoked
The officials who helped Schnitzer Steel thwart the A’s; Nevada effort to block Vegas ballpark gets help from Oaklanders; Hayward councilmember is seeking a fifth term
CITY NEWS
SCHNITZER STEEL FIRE
—FOUL BALLS—As giant piles of recycled steel smoldered on the Oakland waterfront Wednesday night, the political ramifications—both today and potentially months and years from now—were apparent.
—The Schnitzer Steel property has long been an environmental issue. A few years ago, I labeled them “ecocidal terrorists.”
—Over and over, Schnitzer Steel been able to get away with polluting West Oakland and surrounding areas even as there’s been a massive push by local community leaders to lower the amount of pollution for often low-income residents.
—Does Schnitzer Steel paper over its problem by buying the support of local officials? Not directly, but the port lobby is strong and we’ve seen it in action with the organized astroturf campaign to oppose the Howard Terminal Ballpark Project. Schnitzer Steel is adjacent to Howard Terminal.
—The East Oakland Stadium Alliance (EOSA) is funded by Schnitzer Steel and its aim was to block the construction of the Howard Terminal project, a plan that included a 35,000-seat ballpark, 3,000 units of housing, parks, and retail space.
—Those who have followed the long ballpark saga blasted Schnitzer Steel all over social media yesterday, not only for the fire, which affected air quality for the entire region, but as the main group that opposed Howard Terminal and the future of Major League Baseball in the East Bay.
—But Schnitzer Steel’s reach extended to several elected officials, who, quite frankly, dutifully offered EOSA’s talking points that the ballpark project would greatly maligned port operations and lead to a loss of high-paying port jobs.
—Oakland Councilmember Noel Gallo has long regurgitated EOSA’s talking points, even to this day, including exhaustive advocacy for building the ballpark at the Oakland Coliseum, another EOSA talking point.
—Oakland Councilmember Carroll Fife also offered EOSA talking points, although her opposition to the ballpark had other reasons, which led the A’s to keep her mostly in the dark when it came to their ballpark moves.
—Oakland Councilmember Janani Ramachandran has kept EOSA at arms-length since being elected last year, but as a candidate in the 18th Assembly District special election two years ago, she routinely offered EOSA talking points on the stump.
—And before Pamela Price was elected as Alameda County district attorney, she attempted to weaponize EOSA talking points to get the Alameda County Democratic Party to pass a resolution opposing Howard Terminal. The resolution was ultimately shut down by local unions.
—VIOLATIONS GIVEN—On Thursday afternoon, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), which more than any other regulatory body, has jurisdiction over Schnitzer Steel, announced the troubled steel recycler received two notice of violations for Wednesday’s fire. However, an incident report from BAAQMD posted on Thursday said the cause of the recycling fire is still unknown.
—TOLD-YOU-SO TWEETS—Reviled A’s President Dave Kaval has been absent from X (formerly Twitter) for months. He returned shortly after news of the Schnitzer Steel fire broke on Wednesday with a flurry of told-you-so tweets.
—During the Howard Terminal ballpark process, the A’s took aim at Schnitzer Steel, which would have been the team’s neighbor if the ballpark was built. The A’s successfully sued Schnitzer Steel over its poor environmental record.
—In many of the tweets, Kaval appeared to revel in Schnitzer Steel’s possible wrongdoing with its latest raging fire. Kaval vowed that A’s management plans to continue its legal efforts against Schnitzer Steel.
—SCHOOLS OVER STADIUMS—Port of Oakland Commissioner Michael Colbruno is hosting a fundraiser in downtown Oakland on Aug. 16 to help the Nevada State Education Association’s goal of placing a statewide referendum on the ballot in the Silver State for a proposed taxpayer-funded ballpark for the A’s in Las Vegas.
—In June, the Nevada State Legislature approved $380 million in taxpayer funding for a ballpark in Las Vegas. Schools Over Stadiums, the group backed by the Nevada State Education Association, opposes the use of public money for a ballpark amid the state continually struggling with underperforming schools.
ELECTION 2024
HAYWARD CITY COUNCIL
—HAYWARD ON!—Hayward’s garbage man thinks he has more pickups to do.
Hayward Councilmember Francisco Zermeño is making it known that he’s running for a fifth term on the City Council with a glossy postcard sent to many local officials and supporters of his previous campaigns.
—Known for his signature pro-Hayward taglines, such as “Viva La Hayward” and “Hayward On,” Zermeño’s vigor as a public servant, though, has been on the wane for several years.
—Zermeño was a forerunner for what is now a staple for some elected officials in East Bay—picking up garbage on your city’s streets and posting the photos to social media.
—Zermeño begat Oakland Councilmember Noel Gallo who begat San Leandro Councilmember Bryan Azevedo.
—But Zermeño’s appearances on the streets, glove and garbage bag in hand, have been increasingly rare and his energy on the policy front nearly non-existent.
—Nevertheless, because his long ties to the community, in addition to being a popular Chabot College Spanish instructor, always makes him a formidable candidate.
