How has life in the Bay Area changed over the last 20 years? These stories straight from our Bay City News archives capture news of the day from 5, 10, and 20 years ago – as originally published at the time. Explore these history snapshots and ponder how today’s news compares to that of years past.
MAY 11, 2021
Major League Baseball instructed the Oakland Athletics to explore markets outside Oakland while the team continued pursuing a waterfront ballpark. The dispute remains part of the region’s larger reckoning over stadium development, public leverage, and the civic cost of losing major sports franchises.
Bay City News Reported:
“Oakland A’s Explore Other Markets During Ballpark Fight“
Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that it has instructed the Oakland Athletics to begin exploring other markets outside of Oakland while also continuing to pursue a waterfront ballpark in the city’s downtown. The development is the latest in a years-long saga involving the A’s and their attempts to find a new home ballpark away from their current one at the Oakland Coliseum.
The team has been working with local authorities on a proposed new ballpark at Howard Terminal west of Jack London Square and remains the last major professional sports team in Oakland after the Golden State Warriors basketball team has moved to San Francisco and the Oakland Raiders football team has moved to Las Vegas recently.
The A’s on Tuesday morning posted on social media a statement from MLB about the status of the team’s efforts to move. “MLB is concerned with the rate of progress on the A’s new ballpark effort with local officials and other stakeholders in Oakland. The A’s have worked very hard to advance a new ballpark in downtown Oakland for the last four years, investing significant resources while facing multiple roadblocks,” the league said. “We know they remain deeply committed to succeeding in Oakland, and with two other sports franchises recently leaving the community, their commitment to Oakland is now more important than ever,” MLB said. “The Oakland Coliseum site is not a viable option for the future vision of baseball. We have instructed the Athletics to begin to explore other markets while they continue to pursue a waterfront ballpark in Oakland. The Athletics need a new ballpark to remain competitive, so it is now in our best interest to also consider other markets,” the league’s statement ended.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s spokesman Justin Berton issued a response later Tuesday to the MLB statement. “We share MLB’s sense of urgency and their continued preference for Oakland. Today’s statement makes clear that the only viable path to keeping the A’s rooted in Oakland is a ballpark on the waterfront,” Berton said. “We have made great strides with the Governor’s certification and release of the EIR. Now with the recent start of financial discussions with the A’s, we call on our entire community — regional and local partners included — to rally together and support a new, financially viable, fiscally responsible, world class waterfront neighborhood that enhances our city and region, and keeps the A’s in Oakland where they belong,” he said.
A’s president Dave Kaval also wrote a message in response to the MLB directive to explore other markets besides Oakland for the team. “This is not an easy directive for our fans to hear. We believe in the vision we have presented for a waterfront ballpark; it is a project that will create jobs, housing, open parks, and countless community benefits for Oakland residents, and it will set the stage for more World Series titles for our fans,” Kaval wrote. “A new ballpark is needed for the A’s continued success. We agree with MLB’s position that the Coliseum location is not a viable option for the future of the franchise. While we remain committed to succeeding in Oakland and will continue to work toward our waterfront ballpark, we will also follow MLB’s direction and immediately begin the process of exploring a new home for the A’s,” he wrote.
The East Oakland Stadium Alliance, a group that has advocated for the A’s to stay in East Oakland and build a new stadium at the Coliseum site, issued its own statement Tuesday criticizing the team and owner John Fisher. “The Coliseum location is the ideal place to build a new stadium, as it already has freeway access, public transit, and more than enough space to create a ‘ballpark village’ that could revitalize East Oakland,” the group said. “Despite 50 years of history and four World Series victories, John Fisher and the A’s are now telling East Oaklanders without any explanation that East Oakland is no longer good enough.”
MAY 11, 2016
Lyft and California drivers proposed a revised settlement in a federal lawsuit over driver pay and employment status. The case foreshadowed years of conflict over gig-work classification, platform accountability, and the economic security of app-based workers.
Bay City News reported:
“Lyft And Drivers Propose $27 Million Settlement“
Lyft Inc. and lawyers for drivers of the ride-booking service today proposed a revised $27 million settlement of a federal lawsuit filed in San Francisco by drivers. The proposed settlement was announced by both sides and submitted to U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria, who must approve the pact and is due to consider it at a June 2 hearing.
Last month, Chhabria rejected a previously proposed $12.25 million settlement on the ground it gave too little to drivers. The settlement money would be divided among the more than 163,000 California drivers who are linked with passengers through San Francisco-based Lyft’s mobile app. The amount each driver will receive will depend on the amount of time the driver worked. Lyft drivers would continue to be classified as independent contractors rather than employees at least for the time being.
The settlement document says that Lyft denies that the drivers are employees. Shannon Liss-Riordan, a lawyer for the drivers, said, “Although the agreement does not resolve for the future the question of whether Lyft drivers should properly be classified as employees or independent contractors, we believe this agreement provides a fair resolution of this case.” Liss-Riordan said the settlement “will get money in the pockets of the drivers now (rather than perhaps years down the road in the future, if ever” if the case had gone to trial and appeals. The attorney said the revised financial amount accounts for the fact that the number of Lyft drivers nearly doubled between the time Lyft provided initial figures and the time the previous proposal was presented to Chhabria.
The settlement also includes a revised deactivation policy under which Lyft can deactivate drivers only for specific, delineated reasons instead of being able to terminate them at will. Lyft General Counsel Kristin Sverchek said in a statement, “In light of Lyft’s continued growth, we agreed to update the resolution in a way that both increased monies paid to drivers and helped preserve their flexibility to control when, where and for how long they drive on the platform.”
A similar proposed settlement with Uber Technologies Inc., also based in San Francisco, would give Uber drivers in California and Massachusetts more than $100 million and would likewise leave them classified as independent contractors. The Uber settlement is also scheduled to be considered for preliminary approval in federal court in San Francisco on June 2, but by a different judge, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen.
MAY 11, 2006
San Francisco and transportation officials sought state support to extend Caltrain service into downtown San Francisco. The effort tracks closely with today’s regional transit priorities, including rail electrification, downtown access, and the long-running push to link commuter rail more directly to the city core.
Bay City News reported:
“Caltrain Looks At Downtown San Francisco Expansion“
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, along with several other city and transportation officials, asked for more state funding today to help extend Caltrain services into the city’s downtown area.
According to Caltrain spokesman Jonah Weinberg, Caltrain is looking to extend its services into San Francisco’s downtown area. He said in order to do that, Caltrain must find funding for the electrification of its trains. According to Weinberg, a train destined for downtown San Francisco would have to go underground, and putting a diesel train underground is not plausible because of the emissions produced by the train. Weinberg said the electrification of the trains would cost an estimated $100 million. He said electric trains would be more efficient and create less pollution.
“The decisions we make on how we prioritize state transportation funding will have a huge impact on California’s future,” Newsom said in a statement. “We must look forward by investing in a truly effective system of mass transit, not backwards by repeating the mistakes of the past and building more highways that drive development into our precious green spaces.”
Newsom also urged lawmakers to continue to back the state high-speed rail project, which will be over 700 miles long and will have some 30 potential destinations, connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles, city officials reported. The high-speed rail project has an estimated $40 billion price tag.
“Countries all over the world have seen the wisdom of investing in high-speed rail as a major transit option particularly as fossil fuel-driven vehicles become less and less viable in the future,” San Francisco Supervisor Jake McGoldrick said.
Editor’s Note: All the reporting, writing, and editing of this content was done by human journalists at the time of initial publication. AI tools were used to surface these stories from our internal Bay City News archives and provide the introductory context.