The "long, litigious road" over the Raiders' lease at
Network Associates Coliseum "took another twist" Wednesday
when the city of Oakland and Alameda County "went public
with a settlement proposal that the football team dismissed
as a 'sham,'" according to Sandra Gonzales of the SAN JOSE
MERCURY NEWS. Under the city/county proposal, the Raiders
would extend their lease by 15 years and stay in Oakland
through 2025. To help increase fan support, all PSLs would
be made permanent "as long as the Raiders play in Oakland,
and the city and county would receive an increased
percentage of gross ticket revenues for playoff games." In
a statement, the Raiders "condemned the proposal," stating:
"While other teams are prospering, the City and County have
made this community a disaster area for pro sports in
general, and have destroyed the marketplace for pro football
specifically." City and county officials said that their
proposal "was a peace offering to keep the Raiders in
Oakland and stop the lawsuits." Gonzales notes that both
sides "have faced large financial losses through litigation
and shortage of ticket revenues." The Coliseum Authority
budgeted $3M this year and $4M last year "just for legal
fees related to the Raiders" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 8/31).
In Oakland, Laura Counts notes the situation "was a repeat
of what happened two years ago, when the city and county
made a try at settling their lawsuit against the Raiders."
But a "key difference" between the new proposal and the old
proposal is that it "keeps the PSL program alive. Before,
the offer was to make existing PSLs permanent but drop
future sales" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 8/31). Meanwhile, in CA,
David Holbrook reports that a Sacramento County Superior
Court judge ruled Wednesday that the Raiders "could proceed
with its attempt to seek punitive damages against Coliseum
officials." But Holbrook notes the issue "still faces
future rounds in court" (CONTRA COSTA TIMES, 8/31).
TIME TO SETTLE? In Oakland, Dave Newhouse calls on
Raiders Owner Al Davis to settle the legal dispute: "It's
time to end the Era of Bad Feeling, otherwise known as The
20-Year War. ... This is no way to have a working
relationship between a sports franchise and a
city/county/stadium authority triumvirate. So let's stop
the fighting" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 8/31).
