The Raiders "are nearing a one-year lease extension to remain at O.Co Coliseum next season," according to Matthew Artz of the OAKLAND TRIBUNE. Reps of the joint Oakland-Alameda County authority that operates the venue said that they "were presented with the terms of a proposed extension on Friday and instructed their negotiators to hammer out a couple of remaining sticking points." Oakland City Council member Larry Reid said that the outstanding issues "were not substantial enough to jeopardize the extension." He expected that the Coliseum BOD "would approve a finalized lease extension at its February meeting." Movement on the lease extension "comes two days after local officials met" with Raiders Owner Mark Davis and NFL execs about the team's future in Oakland. Officials who attended this meeting said that Davis "reiterated his desire to keep the team in Oakland, but that he and league officials were frustrated by the lack of progress on a new stadium since their last meeting in Oakland 18 months ago" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 1/17). Davis reiterated that his first choice "is getting a new stadium in Oakland but he has talked to officials in San Antonio and is monitoring the stadium situation" in L.A. Davis said that the atmosphere during the team's first win in December -- after 10 straight losses -- "proved the commitment of the fan base." He added, "We want to be here. We're not using any other place, city or whatever, as leverage. It's not that way. It's known that no matter what we do here, it will not be as valuable or economically as great for the Raiders as if we went somewhere else" (AP, 1/16).
TAKING CHARGE: In San Diego, Kevin Acee cited sources as saying that Mayor Kevin Faulconer “was taken aback” by the Chargers’ response to his speech about keeping the team in the city, and the Chargers “remain dismayed by what the speech illustrated.” Chargers Special Counsel Mark Fabiani “sounded angry,” and since he is “the only one from the Chargers talking, the Chargers sound angry.” Acee: “I'm not sure who's going to vote for angry.” The Chargers’ reaction “has sent a ripple across San Diego," making residents, business leaders and politicians “wonder what the Chargers ‘motivation’ is.” Acee: “That’s the word I heard a lot from the other end of the phone Thursday and Friday.” The theory “floated again and again, including by smart people not prone to conspiracies, was that this could be part of a play by the Chargers to try to get out of town, to show how unworkable it is in San Diego” (UTSANDIEGO.com, 1/16).
