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Oakland Mayor fights for A's as Nevada lawmakers discuss funding bill

Oakland Coliseum
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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada lawmakers are weighing whether or not to grant the A's funding for a stadium.

The mayor of Oakland, and other California politicians, are pushing to keep the team in the Bay Area.

Mayor Sheing Thao says she is doing what she can.

"We want the Oakland A's to be here...I did not make it easy for them to push this legislation through, I have been in contact with lawmakers in Nevada."

While time looks to be running out with Nevada Legislature special session underway, Sheing is trying to keep the Oakland A's where they are.

"I have been on the phone, calling all the different people, calling all the different labor unions to really make it so it is harder for them," she said.

The A's have been in Oakland since 1968, but with the team's lease at the Coliseum expiring next year, they are looking for an alternative.

Some think the better alternative is in Las Vegas, Thao still believes Oakland is a better option for the team and the league.

"The fans are fighting for the Oakland A's and why not here in Oakland where it is diverse, one of the most diverse cities in the nation," the mayor said.

Back in December, Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred said the team would not have to pay the league to relocate to Las Vegas, upsetting some California lawmakers.

California Congresswoman Barbara Lee has the city of Oakland in her district. She sent a lengthy letter to the commissioner asking him to reconsider his position.

In a Tweet, Lee says the MLB is incentivizing the team's relocation and is asking the league to stay out of the way.

"The uniqueness of being an A's fan is you are following all this legislation, you are following city politics," one fan, Jorge Leon, said.

Leon is an A's fan in Oakland. He says he and other fans are wondering what can be done and blames both the team's administration and its owner.

"My mind is kind of like 'lets get this over with and lets keep fighting for our team' now we have to pump up our protesting and showing who this ownership is."

Commissioner Manfred has said that a vote on the A's possible move could take place when MLB owners meet next week from June 13-15 in New York.