Two Tustin city councilmembers have let it be known that in the event Arte Moreno’s inquiries into possibly re-locating the Angels to Tustin actually pan out, the city would provide no funding to build a new stadium. From the Voice of OC:

Councilwoman Rebecca Gomez made clear that if Moreno wants a stadium in Tustin, he shouldn’t look to taxpayers for help.

“My preference is” to not use public subsidies for a stadium, Gomez said.

This is a conservative city council in a conservative town. Anyone surprised by this response doesn’t know Tustin. it should be kept in mind that the Angels approached Tustin, not the other way around – and there’s no evidence the Angels asked for a taxpayer-funded stadium in what appear to be preliminary conversations.

Critics of the Anaheim’s negotiation framework with the Angels have jumped on this news as some sort of vindication of their claim that the Angels are basically in a corner and have nowhere to go. I’m not aware of anyone who has said the Angels will move to Tustin or anywhere else. The point is that they have the ability to do so, and are willing to explore other options.

This buzzing hive of critics also point to the Angels foray into Tustin as substantiation of their claim that extending the opt-out for the Angels from 2016 to 2019 opened the door for the Angels to leave Anaheim. Mind you, they simultaneously argue, with great vehemence and certitude, that the Angels absolutely have nowhere else to go and therefore we should be unconcerned about the team’s overtures to other cities.

Well, which is it? Those arguments run counter to each other and can’t be true at the same.