Giants’ Future Hazy as Tax Proposal for New Stadium Fails

Voters rejected a tax-funded stadium for the San Francisco Giants, casting the baseball team’s future in Northern California in doubt.

Owner Bob Lurie announced today that the Giants would stay in San Francisco in 1991 and that he would make a decision about 1992 early next year.

Lurie said he was disappointed by Tuesday’s narrow loss and “plans to take several months and look at all the alternatives, whatever those alternatives might be,” Giants spokesman Matt Fischer said.

“Sometime after the first of the year he’s going to make a decision and announce it. He’s not limiting himself to anything,” Fischer said.

Lurie had said before the election that a Santa Clara stadium was the Giants’ last hope to stay in the area, and that if it failed he probably would move the team.

Voters in five Santa Clara County communities narrowly defeated the 1% utility tax to finance a 45,000-seat, $153-million ballpark that would have opened in 1994, replacing aging, wind-swept Candlestick Park.

With all precincts counted in a combined election in Santa Clara, San Jose, Sunnyvale and Milpitas, the tax was opposed by 129,652 voters (50.5%) compared to 126,906 (49.5%) voting in favor of the measure. Those totals do not include absentee ballots submitted at polling places.

A separate, equally essential measure to approve San Jose’s participation in the project failed 49% to 51%.

Another measure in Santa Clara passed 51% to 49%. It allows the use of 98 acres of city-owned land south of state Highway 237 between Great America Parkway and the Guadalupe River for the stadium.

Voters in Mountain View overwhelmingly rejected participation in the project, with 61.2% opposed and 38.8% in favor of the measure. That measure was not essential to the stadium.

The cost of the tax was estimated at $16 to $18 a year per household for 12 to 14 years.

Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent, in Osaka, Japan, for baseball’s postseason goodwill tour, said he was “disappointed” in the vote, but said he did not want to make any other comments at this time.

Giants owner Lurie turned his sights to Santa Clara, 40 miles to the south, after twice being rebuffed by voters in the team’s hometown of 33 years in requests for a new stadium.