By Robert Haugh
Tomorrow, the Coliseum Authority will vote on a lease agreement with the Raiders to have them play in Oakland for the 2019 season with an option for 2020.
That’s good news for Santa Clara, especially Northside residents.
Bad news for the 49ers.
Northside residents have been complaining for years about the poor protection of neighborhoods during major stadium events. In the past, Police Chief Mike Sellers has said there’s not much his department can do. He’s also declined to stop alcohol sales after halftime during NFL games.
City Council members and City staff have criticized Sellers for not using his authority and stepping up to protect neighborhoods. Few people at City Hall feel confident that Sellers would have been able to increase neighborhood protections for Raider games at Levi’s Stadium if he had to.
The Oakland City Council and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors are expected to approve the new Raiders lease deal, according to multiple media reports.
In the new deal, the Raiders will pay $7.5 million in rent for 2019. They have a $10.5 million option for 2020 in case their new stadium in Las Vegas isn’t built for next season. This looks like a good deal for the Raiders since they had no place to play. And the NFL schedule for 2019 is released next month.
The Raiders wanted to play at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. But that was opposed by the 49ers. The Raiders didn’t want to share Levi’s Stadium with the 49ers. According to media reports, the two teams don’t have a friendly relationship. And the 49ers wanted a lot more money.
The 49ers’ financial loss is the Northside residents’ gain.
[…] The Raiders are playing their last season in Oakland because they have nowhere else to go. They’ve played local politics worse than the 49ers front office and that’s really hard to do. […]