LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A referendum petition to gut the deal that secured millions for the A’s stadium in Las Vegas was filed on Wednesday, Sept. 6., by a group identified as Schools Over Stadiums PAC.
It targets the agreement to provide public funding that passed the Nevada Legislature in a special session and was signed by Gov. Joe Lombardo — a combined $380 million. Of that, only $180 million comes from the state. The rest of the funding would come from Clark County, and the petition makes no changes to that section of the deal.
Taxpayers and political groups protested the deal for a $1.5 billion stadium on the Las Vegas Strip during testimony before the bill passed, and public sentiment has simmered since then.
Schools Over Stadiums PAC was created in response to the deal. The group is connected with the Nevada State Education Association.
“Schools Over Stadiums has been committed to pursuing every possible path to stop the use of public funds to subsidize a billionaire’s stadium and that has always included putting the question to Nevada voters who were effectively shut out of the process,” Dawn Etcheverry, a music teacher and president of NSEA and Schools Over Stadiums, said in a Wednesday news release.
“Nevada’s priorities are misguided and when we launched Schools Over Stadiums in June, our goal was to ensure that public funds go to the services Nevadans depend on like our public schools, not to a California billionaire for a stadium,” Etcheverry said.
If the petition succeeds, it would force the A’s to find another source or pay the extra money themselves. The petition does not specify another use for state money.
The petition would make no changes to Clark County’s responsibilities to provide funding for the stadium.
The effort has a long path ahead, with stringent requirements that have sunk petitions in years past.
Sponsors of the petition need to collect at least 102,362 signatures — more than 25,590 from each of Nevada’s four congressional districts. Those signatures must pass a verification process. That’s just to get the petition on the ballot for the November 2024 election.
8 News Now reached out to Lombardo’s office for comment, but a spokesperson declined.
If it gets that far, language in the petition is likely to be challenged in court.
“This referendum petition will target specific parts of Senate Bill 1 to strip public funding for the proposed stadium regardless of what state and county officials agree (to) do in any sort of development deal,” Alexander Marks, Schools Over Stadiums spokesperson, said.
“We’re excited to get out there and start gathering signatures from Nevadans who want to put our schools first. We’re confident that a majority of Nevadans will join us in taking action to put Nevada’s priorities back in line so we can address an education system that ranks 48th in funding with the largest class sizes and highest vacancies in the country,” Marks said.
