Why Treat Oakland Like Albania?

Most people in the Los Angeles area would be just as glad to see Raiders’ owner Al Davis and his football team return to their original home in Oakland. So would we, and it looked like a done deal after city and county governments there agreed to pay millions of dollars to lure the team back with a larger, refurbished stadium.

But lots of voters in Oakland think their taxes could be better spent on things like a troubled school system or post-earthquake reconstruction than on luxury boxes for football fans. Opponents of the deal gathered more than 33,189 signatures (plenty more than the 19,716 required) on a petition calling for a referendum on the Raiders’ agreement in November.

So are Oakland officials going to put the matter to a vote--to test, in effect, whether the Raiders are as beloved in their hometown as some sports- page pundits would have us believe? Not without a fight. Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson and City Atty. Jayne Williams say that they will try to disqualify the petitions, or at least lots of the signatures, on technicalities. Why? Because Davis has threatened to call the deal off if the referendum qualifies for the ballot. This sad episode should be a warning to the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission, Mayor Tom Bradley and anyone else hereabouts who might be tempted to engage in similar back-room deals with Davis to keep the Raiders in town.

As for Oakland’s voters, the last time we looked the people of the East Bay were entitled to democracy, just like the people of Eastern Europe. Oakland officials should stop demeaning themselves by submitting to all of Davis’ quirky whims and let the people have a say. Beating the Green Bay Packers is one thing, but even Al Davis can’t defeat democracy.