Six Missouri state legislators yesterday "sued Gov. Jay Nixon and the public board that owns and operates the Edward Jones Dome to block funding" of a new riverfront NFL stadium in St. Louis, according to Hunn & Stuckey of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. The suit, led by Sen. Rob Schaaf, alleges taxpayer money is "in the process of being spent illegally" on "an illegal construction of a new NFL stadium." The suit "attacks" Nixon’s plans for a new $985M facility just north of downtown. A governor-appointed task force has estimated it will take at least $250M from the state and city of St. Louis, and "said that money will come from an 'extension' of the bonds used to build the Edward Jones Dome," where the Rams, who may move to L.A., now play. This "is the second suit challenging the issue." The first "was filed last month by the Dome authority," which "asked a judge to rule on the legality of a city ordinance requiring a public vote on taxpayer spending for new stadiums." Yesterday's suit argues that the task force’s proposal to extend state bonds "is illegal." Schaaf said that lawmakers "tried to resolve the problem while the Legislature was in session," but added that while bills were filed, they "didn’t get anywhere" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/28). In St. Louis, David Hunn reports city residents "will not vote this summer on the use of their tax dollars to build a new riverfront football stadium." The deadline to place a measure on the August ballot was Tuesday. St. Louis Board of Election Republican Dir Gary Stoff said that the next available date for such a vote "would be Nov. 3," and added that the deadline to file for that election is Aug. 25 (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/28).
STING RAID: In Sacramento, Victor Contreras asks why the city of Oakland and the county of Alameda are not "doing all they can -- and frantically -- to save the Raiders?" Contreras: "Where’s the fight, the commitment by Oakland to keep the Raiders, as St. Louis and San Diego are doing to keep the Rams and Chargers from moving to Los Angeles?" Perhaps it is because Oakland "is done with the Raiders." Taxpayers "still are on the hook" for as much as $20M a year on O.co Coliseum, reportedly until '26, for mid-'90s renovations. Oakland "wants to keep the Raiders, but with a need for more police, schools and hospitals, the city and county have little to offer" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 5/28).
