Coliseum’s Need for Compromise

The commission that operates the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is at odds with its primary tenant, the Los Angeles Raiders, over refurbishing the venerable facility.

The disagreement became public last week when the Raiders suspended construction of 60 new luxury boxes on the rim of the stadium after 1,700 seats and some light standards had already been torn out. Spokesmen for the football club said that work will not resume unless the commission starts a major reconfiguration of stadium seating, to be completed at the same time as the luxury boxes. The Raiders want the commission to install movable seats over the stadium’s running track to get front-row fans closer to the playing field.

Coliseum officials are balking at the request because they do not yet have the $21 million in damages that they expect from the commission’s lawsuit against the National Football League, which tried to block the Raiders’ move to Los Angeles. The judgment is still on appeal.

Raider officials seem willing to compromise on the issue, but some commission members are suggesting that there is no need to work out an agreement. County Supervisor Pete Schabarum even suggests that he and other new members of the commission are not bound by promises made by former commissioners who negotiated the terms of the controversial Raider move five years ago. The promises include an oral understanding that the Coliseum would be modernized. For Schabarum and others to now resist upgrading the Coliseum, something that everyone agrees is both desirable and necessary, is not just petulant and unseemly but also irresponsible.

Both sides must be prepared to compromise, and soon, if a better and more modern Coliseum is to be ready in time for the next football season.