The Oakland Coliseum complex will cost the city and
Alameda County $35M this year, up from the previous estimate
of $21M, according to Rick DelVecchio of the S.F. CHRONICLE.
The public subsidy increase, "which had been expected, is
mostly a result of the costs of settling two legal disputes"
stemming from the expansion of the Coliseum stadium in '95
and the reconstruction of the Coliseum arena in '96 (S.F.
CHRONICLE, 2/25). County supervisor Gail Steele, on the
sports deals: "It's a big worry. ... It's been a nightmare.
We'll be in debt for a long time." In San Jose, Renee Koury
reports that the cost to the city and county could rise
"even higher" if the Warriors "don't pay up" the $7.4M in
premium seating revenues "that officials say the team owes."
The county "can use interest income it earns on delinquent
property taxes to cover its share" of the $35M debt. But
the city has "fewer resources, and officials say they may
have to start cutting the city budget to help cover the
Coliseum debts." Koury adds that the public "is destined to
pay millions of dollars every year for the next 26 years to
cover stadium costs, mainly because of poor sales" of
Raiders tickets (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 2/25).
