The A’s 10-year lease extension with the Coliseum is nearly official after the Alameda County Board of Supervisors approved the deal Tuesday.
It was the third stage of approval needed after the Oakland City Council and the Joint Powers Authority -- which operates the Coliseum – had previously signed off on the original deal. Now the JPA must go back and ratify recent changes that the city made to the agreement.
The extension would kick in next season and could potentially keep the A’s playing at the Coliseum through the 2024 season. There are escape clauses, however. The A’s can leave to play outside the city of Oakland after the 2018 season, but in that scenario, they would have to pay the annual rent remaining for the full lease. Were the A’s to leave the Coliseum but build a new ballpark in Oakland, they reportedly would not have to pay the remaining Coliseum rent.
Likewise, should the Raiders begin plans to build a new football stadium on the current Coliseum site that interrupts the A’s baseball schedule, the A’s must be given two years’ notice before they would have to leave.
But the Raiders’ future at the Coliseum could be murky after Tuesday’s report that owner Mark Davis reportedly met with officials of San Antonio about potentially moving his team there.