From Chronicle Staff Writer Susan Slusser

The Chronicle has learned that the A’s plan to request that their stadium issue be placed onto the agenda for next month’s owners meetings in New York.

UPDATE: I am told that despite the A’s desire to get their stadium issue onto the agenda, it will not be added. Two sources have told me that wanting to get something on the agenda and actually getting it placed on the agenda are two different things, and MLB has no current plans to delve into the matter next month.



A major-league source said the team is placing the stadium issue on the agenda in the hopes that a vote will be taken on the A’s desire to move to San Jose. The A’s have been waiting for more than three years for the issue to be resolved.

Owner Lew Wolff, reached by phone, said, “Absolutely no comment. I am following the process.”

Both teams have been asked not to speak about the stadium issue until there is a resolution.

A’s general manager Billy Beane said that he would not comment when reached by The Chronicle.

The Giants oppose any A’s move to San Jose, which is considered part of the Giants’ territory. Giants managing partner Larry Baer was not available for immediate comment.

Commissioner Bud Selig made some interesting statements to Tracy Ringolsby of FoxSports.com last month, telling Ringolsby, “Both sides are deeply positioned and I am in the middle of trying to fashion some type of an agreement. It is very complicated.”

Indications throughout have been that the Giants will not change their stance on the territorial rights, nor will they negotiate the rights to Santa Clara County away, so it’s likely that the A’s believe an up-and-down vote of owners might be their best bet for a quicker resolution to the issue. It would take a 75 percent vote of the owners in order to overturn the Giants’ territorial rights, or the commissioner also could choose to use the “best interests of baseball” powers in order to allow the A’s to move to a site in downtown San Jose.

Should the A’s fail to get enough votes to override the Giants’ territorial rights, it is possible that San Jose will consider filing a lawsuit against Major League Baseball, challenging its anti-trust exemption.

Selig, in his discussion with Ringolsby, appeared to have some sympathy for the A’s arguments, saying, “It is different because in 1990 when Bob Lurie wanted to move the Giants to San Jose, Walter Haas, the wonderful owner of the Oakland club, who did things in the best interest of baseball, granted permission. What got lost there is they didn’t feel it was permission in perpetuity. He gave Bob permission to go down there. Unfortunately or fortunately, it never got changed. We are dealing with a lot of history here.”

The owners’ meetings will be May 16-17 at the league offices in New York.