Does Gov. Joe Lombardo's biggest donor own land next to a proposed A's baseball stadium?
NO
Nevada billionaire Robert Bigelow, owner of the extended-stay chain Budget Suites of America, owns land close to the A's proposed Tropicana stadium site, but not directly adjacent to it.
Last month, the A’s voided an agreement to buy land for a stadium at Tropicana Avenue and Dean Martin Drive on the former Wild West casino site. This site would have been directly opposite Bigelow’s properties on Polaris Avenue.
The A's then reached a tentative agreement to build their new ballpark on the southeast corner of the current Tropicana Las Vegas property, about a mile away from the approximately 8.5 acres Bigelow owns.Lombardo’s office has negotiated a bill that would provide up to $380 million in public financing for the ballpark. State lawmakers must introduce and pass the bill before Lombardo signs it into law.
Bigelow donated about $25 million to causes supporting Gov. Joe Lombardo’s 2022 campaign.
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
The Nevada Independent A’s pivot to new site for Vegas baseball stadium, lowering public funding request
Las Vegas Sun Las Vegas billionaire in big leagues bankrolling GOP campaigns
Google Drive GIS Data: Budget Suites Properties Tropicana Ave and Polaris Ave
The Nevada Independent is a proud participant in The Gigafact Project — an initiative to safeguard democracy and spread accurate information.
Have you seen a claim online that you want fact-checked? Send us a link here.