Southeast : Long Beach Drops NFL Franchise Bid
Long Beach’s bid to host a National Football League franchise has come up short of a first down.
Before even considering how to finance a football stadium, the City Council decided this week that Long Beach is not big enough for both a stadium and its other aspirations for economic revival.
The council Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to shelve a report that identified two possible sites for a stadium. Unfortunately, Mayor Beverly O’Neill said, both sites--one near the Queen Mary and the other near the Long Beach Convention Center--are needed for the city’s waterfront redevelopment.
Councilman Alan Lowenthal, a Raiders fan who came up with the stadium idea and requested the report on possible sites, said the NFL’s reputation for pulling up stakes didn’t help. Fellow council members were wary that a franchise might move in and then relocate, leaving the city the construction bill, he said.
Either way, he won’t waste time trying to come up with a team mascot.
“We fumbled,” Lowenthal said.
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