Raiders’ stadium deal may be on its last breath
The deal to build the Raiders a new stadium in Oakland “is gurgling blood” — the only question being when it’s going to be declared dead, according to one Coliseum official close to the talks.
Three big problems stand in the way — the cost of the stadium, the cost of the land for the stadium and the future of the A’s.
The Raiders want free land, something elected officials in Oakland and Alameda County say they can’t deliver, according to our source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because talks are still under way.
As for the money for the stadium, “the Raiders and the NFL have about $500 million be-
tween them,” the source said.
That’s about half what the stadium is likely to cost. So barring the emergence of bigbucks investors, someone — i.e., the public — will have to come up with a cool $500 million.
“But the real poison pill is the Raiders’ insistence that the minute we start working on the new stadium, the old one comes down,” the source said.
Just where the Raiders would play in the meantime is unclear. But team owner Mark Davis has made it clear that by the time the Silver and Black are in their new home, he doesn’t want to be “playing in the middle of a construction zone,” our stadium official said — which would be the case if demolition of the old Coliseum isn’t all done.
Of course, knocking down the Coliseum means knocking down the A’s home. “And losing the A’s,” said our source, “would be suicide for all of us.” Loretta logic: To some, Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s decision to jump into the U.S. Senate race against state Attorney General Kamala Harris has all the makings of a short race to nowhere.
Democratic Party politics look stacked against her, and to run, she has to give up her five-term House seat.
But some insiders figure she comes out ahead any way she plays it. Here’s why: One: She might actually win. The media are always hungry for a race, so Sanchez will get a lot of attention. And as a House member, she’ll bring in contributions from interest groups that have to deal with her in Washington all the way through November 2016 — so she’ll be able to match Harris on the money front.
Two: She doesn’t have to make the final call until March. If she decides not to run for Senate, she can take all the money she raises until then and spend it on a House re-election campaign.
Three: Even if she pulls out early, she’ll be much better known statewide — potentially putting her in position to run for governor in 2018.
Bottom line: Never assume that the early front-runner will finish first. As Sanchez campaign manager Bill Carrick notes, both of California’s current U.S senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, began their first campaigns as underdogs. May Day 911: Oakland police are looking to revamp their mutual-aid strategy to avoid a repeat of the May Day mayhem on Auto Row that saw rioters smashing showroom windows and vandalizing dozens of cars.
Sources tell us that Mayor Libby Schaaf was so unhappy with how police handled — or mishandled — the incident that she called out Chief Sean Whent and the rest of the command staff in front of the troops at the next morning lineup.
Schaaf and the chief later appeared together at a press conference where the mayor said police should have called for help from surrounding agencies 15 minutes sooner to help protect property.
Now, police officials are taking a long look at calling in outside cops during the day if a big nighttime protest is planned — reserving Oakland officers, who are accustomed to working together, for crowd control when the sun goes down.
“We have been working hard over the last week to explore many different approaches,” Schaaf told us Friday
As for calling out the command staff, she said, “I thought it was important for me to personally be at the lineup, and support creating clarity from the leadership and setting high expectations for performance.”
Still, Schaaf said she stands fully behind Whent, calling him “the right chief for Oakland at this time.’’ Ties that bind: Supervisor Jane Kim stood alone among San Francisco politicos in offering sympathetic words for Enrique Pearce after he was busted on child-porn charges, telling the Examiner that political consultants are often “vilified. And I’m sure that had some impact on Enrique. When you’re vilified, it puts a strain on you.”
But then, Kim may know Pearce better than most. Not only did he run her 2010 campaign for supervisor and her re-election effort last year, but the two were also once roommates.
Voter rolls from 2007 show Kim and Pearce sharing the same apartment along with two other people on Arguello Boulevard.
Kim did not return our calls Friday seeking comment. And finally: From Theresa Sparks, who is transgender and director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission: “Before the story broke, people used to ask me if I knew who Bruce Jenner was. After the story broke, they asked me if I was Bruce Jenner.” San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or e-mail matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross