Dave Kaval, a figure in the A’s exit from Oakland, is stepping down as team president

Dave Kaval, who promised the Athletics would remain “Rooted in Oakland” when he took over as team president in 2016, is out as of Tuesday. According to the team, Kaval, 49, is resigning.

Sandy Dean, a member of the ownership group, will serve as interim president; Dean has handled much of the front-office duties for the A’s recently as they prepare to move to Sacramento for the next three seasons, and the team will begin searching for a new president in January.

In a statement released by the team announcing his retirement, Kaval said, referring to the progress the A’s have made toward a possible move to Las Vegas, “I will remain in California to explore new opportunities in the cross country between business and government. I am grateful to A’s ownership for the opportunities they have given me.”

Owner John Fisher said in the same release: “We are grateful for Dave’s contributions and leadership over the past eight years. He guided our organization through a period of significant transition and we sincerely thank him for his unwavering commitment to the team.”

Kaval was the face of the A’s business operations throughout the attempt to build a new ballpark at Howard Terminal when plans to replace the Oakland Coliseum moved to a waterfront location just north of Jack London Square. Kaval famously presented plans for a potential new stadium at Howard Terminal that at one point included a gondola for transportation to the ballpark from downtown. He enthusiastically leaned into the “Rooted in Oakland” motto and gained instant popularity with A’s fans, who especially enjoyed his open office hours and his interactions on social media.

During the first two years of Kaval’s management, the A’s moved their offices — complete with a batting cage — to a new building in Jack London Square and underwent a major hiring spree under new chief operating officer Chris Giles. But Giles left in January 2020, and during the ensuing pandemic season, the A’s let go of many of his hires.

Despite strong progress toward achieving a stadium in Oakland at the Howard Terminal site, the A’s abandoned those plans and, in fulfillment of their “parallel path” by exploring Las Vegas as an alternative, identified new sites there , ultimately settling on the former Tropicana hotel and casino location, and has a deal in place with Clark County for a 30,000-seat domed stadium. Fisher has pledged more than $1 billion in family money for construction, and more than $380 million in public funds have been earmarked for the project at that site. As a result, Kaval, former Oakland fan favorite, became Public Enemy No. 1 along with Fisher.

Kaval did not immediately return a text from the Chronicle seeking comment, but Dean reiterated in a phone call that Kaval “came to the conclusion, based on the progress that has been made, that this was a good time to think about a change.”

Kaval, who holds undergraduate and business degrees from Stanford, also worked for Fisher’s San Jose Earthquakes for seven years and helped the team open the then-Avaya Stadium (now PayPal Park) in 2015.

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