Stay In Oakland isn’t just the name of the crusade John Lupo is leading to keep the Raiders from leaving; it’s practically his mantra.
“We wanted to do everything that we possibly could to let the city of Oakland, Alameda County and the National Football League know it was really important that they make something happen,” said Lupo, describing Stay In Oakland as “a movement, as opposed to an entity.”
The homespun fan-advocacy group works out of an office on Hegenberger Rd. and has nearly 2,000 Facebook followers. Lupo said they've been working to raise awareness since November 2014.
On Tuesday, Oakland’s City Council voted unanimously to open a two-month negotiation window with a group led by Ronnie Lott, who played for the Los Angeles Raiders in the early 1990s.
Lott’s proposal calls for a new $1.3 billion stadium and asks the city to kick in $200 million for infrastructure improvements, as well as a 100-acre parcel near Coliseum BART worth $150 million.
According to ESPN, Lott’s plan would see the Raiders and the NFL contribute $500 million, while his group would chip in $400 million. Under the proposal, Oakland would recoup its investment by selling bonds related to to stadium construction and development, but as the East Bay Times reported, local taxpayers won’t pay off $200 million in existing stadium bonds until 2025.
Unfortunately for Raider Nation, team owner Mark Davis is eager to relocate to Las Vegas, where public officials and billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson have offered to build a $1.9 billion, 65,000-seat arena. Davis, who has long stated his desire for a new facility, would pay $500 million.
“The window is closing, so this is probably our best, most viable option at this stage,” said Lupo. Working at a grassroots level, he’s blitzed local fans, government officials, the Lott group, and the Raiders organization via social media.
“We work with individual groups,” he said. “Hopefully, we’re headed in a direction where you’re going to see more of these groups and entities acting with one voice.”
Lupo supports the Lott proposal because “the land is already paid for,” and because he believes it’s inevitable that the area will be developed whether or not a new stadium is built. “At some point, that money is going to be spent,” he said. “It just makes logical sense to put forth an effort that would be able to bring greater infrastructure development in the area.”
Given regional growth, Lupo predicts that the next 20 years will bring “a huge amount of ancillary development” to Oakland, which makes the Lott plan a logical choice. “I don’t think the $300 million infrastructure cost is unreasonable,” he said.
Because Lott’s proposed deal requires the city, the team and the league to agree on a strategy, NFL executive Eric Grubman told ESPN that Oakland isn’t truly in competition with Las Vegas. “It’s simply a question of whether they can put a proposal together that is viable for a team,” he said.
Before Davis can move the team, 24 of the NFL’s 32 owners would need to approve a relocation. Although NFL President Roger Goodell has expressed a preference for keeping the Raiders in Oakland, yesterday, he said Lott’s proposal doesn’t address “the long-term issues of the clubs and communities.”
Lupo’s group also opposes plans for Chase Center, the Warriors' proposed new arena across the bay, but acknowledged that the team is “very focused on San Francisco at the moment.” Given the BART and freeway access at Oakland Coliseum, "I think they should stay where they are," said Lupo.
Stay In Oakland is gathering signatures for a petition of Raider fans who will not support the team “financially” if they move to Vegas, said Lupo. “Hopefully, that will be something we can use as a tool to show the NFL how many people are distinctively wanting them to stay in Oakland.”
