In Oakland, where the city is considering a ballpark village for the Athletics, a City Council member has proposed a popular vote on the project. Let the people decide!
The mayor has politely rejected the idea. The people decide on their representatives, who then study complex issues of civic financing and land use before casting their vote.
“It seems unreasonable to expect residents in their own free time to have the ability to do the type of due diligence to make an informed vote,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf told the Oaklandside.
