Oakland Found Open to Raiders

OAKLAND —  Voters here strongly support local efforts to lure the Raiders back to the East Bay, a poll shows, but many also admit that Sacramento is a better place to live.

In the poll, released Tuesday by the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Board, 60% of 400 registered voters polled by telephone said they would like to see the Raiders return, 21% do not approve of the idea and 19% have no opinion.

“People clearly want that team back. I’m very encouraged,” said Alameda County Supervisor Don Perata, who has campaigned hard for the Raiders’ return to Oakland from Los Angeles.

The poll was conducted earlier this month and has a margin of error of 4.7%. It was designed by Paul Ambrosino, a San Francisco-based political consultant whose former clients include Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson.

Voters are also concerned that drugs and crime are ruining the quality of life, the poll showed. Nearly 90% of those polled agreed that “drugs and crime are threatening to ruin the quality of life in Oakland.”

On the other hand, nearly 74% agreed that “Oakland is a better place to live than it is portrayed in the media.”

In choosing life styles, 41% picked Sacramento’s, 22.5% opted for Oakland’s and 36% had no opinion. Sacramento is apparently Oakland’s toughest competitor in the race to snag the Raiders.