Raiders owe Coliseum $800,000 in parking fees

The Oakland Raiders owe an estimated $800,000 in parking fees to the authority that runs the Oakland Coliseum complex, according to an audit that was made public Tuesday.

Oakland City Council President Larry Reid said the audit, which was discussed at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority’s board meeting this morning, shows that the Raiders have been making only minimum payments since 2013 and owe an estimated $25,000 more per game since then, which could total more than $800,000.

However, Reid, who chairs the authority’s board, said the Raiders are aware of the issue and have deposited funds into an escrow account while the two sides try to reconcile their differences over the parking fees.

Reid said:

“There’s a process to try to cure this matter. All we can do is wait and see.”

National Football League owners voted by an overwhelming 31-1 margin last week to approve Raiders owner Mark Davis’ plan to build a new stadium in Las Vegas and move the team there when it’s ready, which is estimated to be in time for the 2020 season.

The Raiders signed a lease extension last year that called for the team to continue playing at the Oakland Coliseum in the 2016 season and two additional one-year extensions that could keep the team in Oakland for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

It isn’t yet known where the team will play during the 2019 season.

Reid said he believes the Raiders’ alleged parking revenue shortfall means they’re in default of their lease at the Coliseum.

Reid said that shortly after the NFL owners’ vote last week the Raiders exercised their right to extend their lease to play at the Coliseum this fall so “there’s nothing we can do” to kick the team out of Oakland this year.

But he said that if the parking revenue issue remains unresolved, the Coliseum authority board, which consists of members of the Oakland City Council and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, could decline to extend the Raiders’ lease in 2018.

The Raiders didn’t respond to a request to comment on the parking revenue matter.