Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Opposes Public Spending On Raiders Stadium
By Chase Ruttig
Nov 20, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders fans tailgate while holding signs the read “Stay in Oakland” before the NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
When it comes to the local political scene in Oakland, the recent mayors of the city haven’t been overly friendly to using taxpayer funded spending on local sports teams needs for new stadiums. Just ask the Golden State Warriors, or the Oakland A’s and most importantly for this website, the Oakland Raiders about dealing with city officials when it comes to getting money to build venues. You would get the same response in that it is nearly impossible to get the Mayor or anyone else on board in using public money to build stadium infrastructure.
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That was the case with now former Mayor Jean Quan and it is now the case with current Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf who since taking office has been adamant in her stance that the Raiders and the A’s are unlikely to get money from the taxpayers to build the stadiums they need to stay in the city.
Schaaf recently came out to the media to discuss the issue of the Raiders needing money to stay in Oakland and continued to remain strong in her stance that the city just cannot give more taxpayer funded money to owner Mark Davis. Particularly after the debt that is still on the books for taxpayers from the last renovations of the Coliseum making it hard for the Mayor to sign off on adding more debt to the city in the name of keeping the team. Especially in Oakland where the city is still trying to get back on their feet and need to spend on city infrastructure outside of sports.
From ProFootballTalk
"If the Raiders are going to stay in Oakland, they’re going to have to find a way to do it without any money from the city taxpayers.That’s the word from Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who says she would not support spending any public funds on a new stadium.Schaaf noted that taxpayers are already on the hook for millions of dollars a year in debt from previous renovations on the Oakland Coliseum. That debt won’t be paid off until 2026, and the city has no interest in spending more money on a new stadium while it’s still paying off the old stadium.“That money we’re paying now is general-fund money we could spend on police, parks or libraries,” she said."
Schaaf’s public comments on the stadium issue continue to drive home the sense that unless a private investor builds a stadium to house the Raiders the team is likely going to be left with little viable options to stay in Oakland. Owner Mark Davis has been fighting with the city since taking over control of the team to little avail and with another mayor opposed to changing Oakland city council’s stance on the matter it is once again looking like relocation may be a necessity for the Raiders to get the new stadium that they need. If the Raiders do stay in Oakland, it won’t be because of Schaaf or local politicians as we are continuing to learn that they have made up their mind on the issue by deciding not to use public funding to keep the NFL in the area.