UPDATE: ‘Gross desert’ remark brings Oakland-Vegas back and forth

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The mayor of Oakland has incited a Twitter riot, calling Las Vegas a “gross desert” as she talked about the prospects of building a stadium in Oakland to keep the Athletics from packing up and heading to Southern Nevada.

In an interview with ABC 7 News, a Bay Area television station, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said “It’s going to be more complicated and you’ve got to be much more environmentally focused when you are developing on the precious California coastline than in the gross desert of Las Vegas. So, yes, it’s more complicated, and it’s totally worth it.”

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman had this reply: “Mayor @LibbySchaaf has this right – sustainability is a priority. The beautiful @cityoflasvegas is a world leader in sustainability & top destination. @LibbySchaaf please join the more than 42 million visitors a year and enjoy a trip to Las Vegas. We can go to a @Raiders game.”

Schaaf later replied: “Hi @mayoroflasvegas! I respect every mayor sticking up for her town. But I just can’t apologize for preferring our gorgeous California coastline over a sweltering desert. #RootedInOakland” … just a slight adjustment in her message, as the desert went to “sweltering.”

If you’re so inclined, send your thoughts to the Oakland mayor on email at officeofthemayor@oaklandca.gov or on Twitter @LibbySchaaf .

Some other responses on Twitter lashed out at Schaaf’s comment.

Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft said on Twitter, “Mayor @LibbySchaaf , this ignorant and elitist comment may be one reason why so many people, companies, and teams want to get the heck out of your jurisdiction. I invite you to come to the #LasVegas strip in @ClarkCountyNV anytime and I’ll be glad to better inform you.”

One person on Twitter even changed the name on their account to “Gross Desert Resident” and said, “You wanna unify the people of Las Vegas? Call our city gross. #vegas #lasvegas“

Another Twitter user speculated that Las Vegas would have the NBA’s Warriors before it all was said and done.

People in the sports community were among the first to offer opinions:

“Just a thought: Athletes would rather play in a “gross desert” than a stadium with long-standing sewage issues and dead mice,” tweeted Danny Webster, a reporter for the Las Vegas Sun who covers the Golden Knights.

” ‘Gross desert of Las Vegas’ them fightin’ words,” threw in Alan Snel, of LVSportsBiz.com.

“Yeah desert is gross @LibbySchaaf cause you Californians are taking our our water,” said Tony Cordasco, sports commentator and radio show personality. He followed up with, “Viva Gross Vegas.”

And as the exchange continued, many shared beautiful images of the desert as a counterpoint to Schaaf’s remark.

Below you can download any of these memes that show our desert is #notsogross. You can click on the meme you want to save and it will open full screen, you can then right-click and select save-as. Then share it on social media – especially if you have friends in Oakland.