Members of the Oakland United Coalition, a collection of local nonprofits, spoke in front of the Alameda County Administration Building on Tuesday.
They urged the county's Board of Supervisors to back out of the sale of their 50 percent stake of the property to the A's, who have been paying the county incrementally since 2019.
Coliseum Way Partners, the group that represents the Fisher family that owns the team, once had plans to develop two sites -- a new ballpark at Oakland's Howard Terminal and the Coliseum site that also currently houses the Oakland Arena.
They signed an agreement with the county to purchase their half of the Coliseum property. So far, they've paid $40 million out of the $85 million sale price, but the groups want the county to pull out before the deal is final.
Last fall, the A’s announced plans to move to a new stadium in Las Vegas for the 2028 season. Their lease at the Coliseum expires this year and the team could play elsewhere until the new park is built.
Vanessa Riles, of the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, part of the coalition, said since the Fisher family had no plans to develop either site, “they're blocking anything else from happening there."
Oakland-based African American Sports & Entertainment Group has reached out to both the city and county to purchase their share. In their most recent offer, half ownership would remain with the city and half would be owned by AASEG, said Riles.
