A's to Address Las Vegas Community--For a Price

Oakland A's leadership may, or may not, break their silence in two weeks

The Oakland A's are set to address the community in Las Vegas for the first time at the Vegas Chamber event on January 24th. When you look into the event on the Chamber's site, the A's are not mentioned anywhere, so this is not an A's-centric experience. It will also cost anyone that wants to get in at least $95 if you're a member, and $125 for non-members. There is also a $1,200 option that includes VIP breakfast for a table of five members. 

According to a Vegas Chamber Instagram post, the A's will be "addressing the community for the first time, hear from the A's Leadership and learn about the relocation of the team, and the vision for the future." 

This is being marketed as the A's addressing the community in Las Vegas for the first time, but it feels more like a fundraising event than a place where the general public can come in and relay some of their concerns. 

For this specific event, "Preview Las Vegas," the Chamber provides the following description. "“Preview Las Vegas” is the premier networking and economic forecasting event of the year. This unparalleled signature experience attracts more than 1,500 attendees. Hear the latest information about the economy, growth, and tourism. Gain important insight on critical information you need to know for 2024 and beyond."

Jeremy Aguero is one of four featured speakers, and his economic analysis of the proposed Vegas ballpark project during the SB509/SB1 hearings boiled down to, "Vegas is different" when confronted with decades of work that actual economists have put into their studies. He was also the economist that touted how successful F1 would be in Las Vegas, and after year one of a ten year deal, several businesses are seeking a remedy for the losses they took on during F1. 

Another featured speaker is Steve Hill, who represented the A's along with Aguero when the team was seeking $380 million from Nevada. Hill wears a lot of hats, and one of the perks of doing so is that he can hire his own companies for $600,000. 

The Vegas Chamber is saying that A's leadership will be addressing those in attendance, but this could be another switcheroo where it's Hill and Aguero that will be speaking on behalf of the A's, which will lead to precisely zero new information on the A's potential relocation to Sin City. 

On the bright side, at least we got an update from the team in the Review-Journal on Thursday that they are in fact still trying to counter Schools Over Stadium's efforts to place a referendum on the ballot in November. The piece in the LVRJ came after A's donations to Nevada politicians started coming to light as the C&E filing date draws near. 

The total number of donations currently stands at seven, totaling $27,000. Six of those that received donations voted "yes" on SB1. The lone exception was Michael Naft, the Clark County Commissioner for District A.