City of Oakland Assistant Administrator Claudia Cappio on Friday said that its new financing plan for a Raiders stadium there "is expected to land on the desks of city leaders" this week, but the proposal from newly hired consultant Mitchell Ziets of Tipping Point Sports "won't include public money to help build" the estimated $900M facility, according to Matthew Artz of the OAKLAND TRIBUNE. Cappio said that the plan "is expected to include several funding mechanisms that have already been bandied about including a special tax district for infrastructure improvements, the development potential of surrounding land on the 120-acre Coliseum site as well as the city's capacity to issue tax-exempt bonds." Cappio said that if city and Alameda County elected leaders "sign off on the proposal ... she would forward it to the NFL and the Raiders," who are seeking league approval to return to L.A. next season (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 11/1). In S.F., Matier & Ross noted Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf "is working to have yet another stadium plan for the Raiders to consider -- and have it ready for the NFL to review within the next couple of weeks." Schaaf: "We want to keep the team, but we have to do it in a responsible way." Schaaf’s goal, "at the very least, is to have an outline of a financial plan ready" before the league’s owners begin deciding on who moves to L.A. out of the Raiders, Rams and Chargers. Schaaf brought in Ziets to "sculpt a deal that could include tax breaks and help with infrastructure for a new stadium" at the O.co Coliseum site (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/1).
SPANOS THE GLOBE: In San Diego, Michael Smolens wrote he "can’t quantify this," but it seems the tone from Chargers Chair Dean Spanos and Special Counsel Mark Fabiani regarding the team's possible plans to move to L.A. "has increasingly toughened with any sign of progress" by city Mayor Kevin Faulconer and his allies on the stadium front. That is a proposal "with public money," an environmental impact report, a "boost" by California Gov. Jerry Brown on that EIR and meetings with key NFL team owners. The degree of that progress "is in the eye of the beholder -- and NFL chieftains." But it is "certainly not as great as Faulconer says or as poor as Fabiani insists." Fabiani and Spanos "have a decent case to make for the Carson joint stadium" with the Raiders "along with legitimate criticism of what’s been happening in San Diego, hyped-up or not." But those points "could be made more diplomatically, or at least with just a little less edge" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 11/1).
MEETING OF THE MINDS: In L.A., Sam Farmer noted the NFL last week "took the unprecedented step" of holding public hearings in the cities whose teams may move to L.A. to "give fans the chance to voice concerns and frustrations, and show support." The three-hour meetings were "more listening sessions for the NFL than back-and-forth exchanges with fans." NFL Exec VP/Business Ventures Eric Grubman said, "We weren't trying to negotiate with the crowd. What we were trying to do was give them a voice, and be able to carry that voice back, and that happened pretty effectively." On stage with Grubman were NFL Senior VP/Public Policy Cynthia Hogan; VP/Corporate Development Chris Hardart; and VP/Legal & Business Affairs Jay Bauman. Attendance numbers "are a point of contention because some fans believe those could influence NFL owners." After the second night, the league reported that there "were 800 attendees in St. Louis and 450 in San Diego, and that no one had been turned away at the door." The report "angered fans in St. Louis who argued there were closer to 1,500 people" for their hearing. Unable to "retroactively check the St. Louis number, reporters counted by hand in San Diego and the NFL's estimate checked out." A hand count of the attendance in Oakland "was 382, and the league said about 60 more trickled in during the meeting." Many of the people who attended the hearings believe that they "were a mere academic exercise, an exit interview of sorts, while others were hoping a strong showing could tip the scales in favor of a city trying to keep its team." Grubman: "I've gotten emails from owners, including owners that are on the (L.A.) committee, just reflecting the fact that they watched part of it. We've had requests for the material to be presented in a way that makes it easy for them to see it. We've had requests from owners for the comments to be summarized" (L.A. TIMES, 10/31).
