Nevada court considers referendum to eliminate public funding for Athletics Vegas stadium
The Nevada Supreme Court is currently debating whether to allow an initiative on the November ballot that would put public financing for the Oakland Athletics' Las Vegas stadium in the hands of the public.
Last June, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1, providing $380 million in public funding bonds and tax credits to cover the stadium's projected $1.5 billion cost. The ballpark will occupy nine acres and by October will become the former site of the Tropicana Casino Resort.
Opening is scheduled for the 2028 MLB season.
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Schools Over Stadiums (SOS), the political action committee of the Nevada State Education Association (NSEA), has filed a petition seeking to deny public funding. The November ballot requires 102,000 signatures by June 26.
However, stadium supporters have legal concerns over the wording of the petition, saying it does not adequately describe its goals.
In November, Carson City Judge James T. Russell sided with supporters, ruling that the petition must contain the full text of Senate Bill 1. As written, the petition only cites the law to be removed.
The problem is that Nevada law limits ballot referendum statements to 200 words.
The state's highest court is currently debating whether to overturn Russell's decision or uphold it.
"People need to understand what the consequences of this excision are," Bradley Schrager, an attorney representing fans at the stadium, said during Tuesday's hearing, according to Nevada Now.
"John Fisher didn't pay Bradley Schrager because he cared about the complexities of the Nevada Constitution," NSA's Chris Dailey told The Current after the hearing. "Things are different here. From the beginning, our goal has been to delay our bill, to bulk up our bill, and to keep it off the ballot," Daley continued, framing the real question as whether the PAC has Enough time to collect the necessary signatures.
"If the verdict goes in our favor, we may have three weeks," Daley told the website. "If it goes against us, we're going to need it soon."
An Emerson College poll this week found 52 percent of likely Nevada voters opposed using public funds to build the stadium, while 32 percent supported it and 16 percent were unsure.
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