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A group of Oaklanders dribbled closer Friday to their dream of bringing a WNBA franchise to their city.
Led by Ray Bobbitt, the African American Sports and Entertainment Group secured an approval from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority Friday morning for a non-binding financial plan for a WNBA team to play at the Oakland Arena.
The idea is part of a larger effort by Bobbitt to revitalize the area around the Coliseum complex, which includes the Oakland Arena and the Oakland Coliseum, where the Oakland A’s have played since 1968.
“We got next,” is a mantra Bobbitt’s group and others, including Oakland Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan, have adopted when referring to the potential for a franchise in the city.
Things have been moving quickly for Bobbitt’s group, which just two weeks ago got the OK to negotiate the non-binding financial plan with the authority.
The WNBA didn’t immediately respond to a request Friday for information on a potential deal for Oakland.
Bobbitt’s group is also vying to buy the city of Oakland’s 50% stake in the Coliseum complex. That deal bounced forward last week when the Oakland City Council directed city staff to begin negotiations.
At least one other group is also seeking to buy the city’s stake. The other half of the complex is owned by the A’s, which purchased it from Alameda County.
If Bobbitt’s group scooped up the city’s stake, it would be a historic deal.
“It would be the largest award of public land to an African American group in the City’s 169-year history,” Bobbitt said recently in a statement.
East Oakland, where the Coliseum complex is located, was home to the Golden State Warriors and the Oakland Raiders, both of which have relocated in recent years to San Francisco and Las Vegas, respectively.
Now, with the A’s planning to leave the complex, too, it will further reduce the number of jobs nearby for east Oakland residents.
That was the cry of many residents, when the City Council voted on the A’s proposal for a new stadium at Howard Terminal near downtown.
Bobbitt’s group wants to bring jobs to the Coliseum complex and east Oakland and much more.
“There’s cranes all over Oakland, but very few in east Oakland,” he said in June.