Oakland mayor says plan to keep Raiders is firming up

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf is inching toward a new Raiders stadium deal that she says will fulfill two delicate political goals: to placate the team’s hometown fans while protecting taxpayer dollars. Representatives of Oakland City Pro Football Group LLC — a team of investors led by former 49er star Ronnie Lott — met in closed session with the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to discuss terms for selling or leasing the Oakland Coliseum and Oracle Arena. The meeting came just days before the expiration of Lott’s memorandum of understanding with city and county officials — the agreement that gave him 90 days to work on a project and a financial plan. Schaaf has long said she will not commit public funds toward a new stadium, other than $90 million in infrastructure improvements — such as roadway realignment and utility upgrades — which she said are necessary regardless of what gets built there. [...] Raiders owner Mark Davis is pursuing a $1.9 billion stadium project off the Las Vegas strip with casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. The Nevada Legislature approved a hotel tax hike in October to generate $750 million for the project, which would be the most expensive sports facility in U.S. history, with the largest taxpayer subsidy.