Oakland Roots soccer club urges Alameda County and Oakland to seal lease deals
Oakland Roots Soccer Club concerned Alameda County and Oakland haven't reached lease deal
Alameda County's Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to put their 50% share of the Malibu lot near the Oakland Coliseum up for auction. The move preserves the county's ability to sell their stake, if Oakland is not able to reach a deal to purchase the share in the site, where the Oakland Roots Soccer Club hopes to build a future popup soccer stadium.
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to put up for auction their share of the Malibu lot adjacent to the Oakland Coliseum, where the Oakland Roots Soccer Club hopes to build a pop-up soccer stadium in the future.
Alameda County holds a 50% stake of the land which is co-owned with the City of Oakland. At the meeting Tuesday, the county board heard hours of testimony and discussion from supporters hoping to hang on to Oakland's last remaining pro sports teams.
Supporters of the Oakland Roots and Soul soccer clubs called on Alameda County Supervisors to finalize leases with the Roots before any sale.
"I'm here to support the Oakland Roots, because they are the only team here. We've lost the A's, the Raiders, the Warriors," Alphonso Guevara, President of Forever Oakland said.
"The Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul are more than just soccer clubs. They are symbols of resilience, community, and inclusivity," David Torres, Director of Falck told the board.
The Oakland Roots say while they are negotiating with the Joint Power Authority about using the Oakland Coliseum for their games next season, they also are pushing for the county and city of Oakland to finalize leases for use of the Raiders' former Harbor Bay training facility in Alameda, which is owned by both the city and county.
"We have been waiting since February 9th when we agreed to terms for the city and the county to deliver the lease terms sheet," Lindsay Barenz, President of the Oakland Roots and Soul told the board, "Please do not destroy our best hope for a stadium in Oakland by selling the property without first completing the lease."
Board President Nate Miley said the county hopes to keep the Roots and Soul teams in Oakland. He said the lease delays are not the county's fault.
"We've been very consistent in wanting to get out of the sports business. That's been very clear," Miley said. "What irritates me is the county is being depicted as the bad player in this."
The county says they'd offered to streamline lease negotiations through a land swap with the city.
"They declined and then we asked them to reconsider basically buy the Malibu site from the county, and they declined again," Alameda County Supervisor Lena Tam said.
Tam said that's why the board was surprised when the city sent a last-minute letter Friday suddenly stating interest in buying the county's share.
"The city is offering both to buy out the county's portion of Malibu as well as Harbor Bay," Leigh Hanson, Oakland mayor's chief of staff said at the meeting.
Miley said the county has a responsibility for its own budget, which has a $100-million dollar deficit in its health system services.
The board voted 4-1 to move forward with the auction.
"If we do go to auction, that doesn't mean we have to sell to an entity, but it preserves our options to do that," David Haubert, the Board's Vice-President said.
The board advised staff to send a letter to the city of Oakland staff to continue negotiations.
The auction date is May 22, but the county can withdraw or decide not to sell the property.
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