San Francisco Mayor Thinks Raiders Should Stay and Play in Oakland

On Monday reports surfaced that the Raiders had asked the Giants to play their home games at Oracle Park in San Francisco next season.

One day after reports surfaced that the Raiders were in talks with the Giants to play at Oracle Park, San Francisco mayor London Breed said she thinks the Raiders should stay in Oakland.

"As far as I'm concerned, the Oakland Raiders should play in Oakland," Breed told KTVU in a Tuesday morning interview. "In San Francisco we have a number of challenges that we need to address with the Warriors coming to the new Chase arena."

The mayor listed housing, transportation and congestion concerns as her reason for opposing the move.

"We have a number of things for years we've been working to prepare for, and we don't need another layer to add to what we already have in terms of an area that's really congested," Breed added.

San Francisco mayor @LondonBreed is not rolling out the welcome mat for the Oakland Raiders to play at Oracle Park.

"As far as I'm concerned, the Oakland Raiders should play in Oakland," she told @MibachKTVU https://t.co/dn5DBZ5J45 pic.twitter.com/G7QMbnYwqj

— KTVU (@KTVU) February 5, 2019

The Raiders are in need of a new home for next year before leaving the Bay Area for Las Vegas in 2020. The Raiders withdrew from a tentative lease to play a final season at the Coliseum in Oakland in December after the city of Oakland sued the NFL over the team's upcoming relocation.

On Monday, it was reported that the franchise chose Oracle Park, the current home of the San Francisco Giants, but the 49ers and NFL still had to approve the decision for it to be final. 

With Golden State moving into Chase Center in San Francisco, which is on schedule to be ready by the Warriors 2019 season opener, the mayor cited the logistical difficulties of adding another professional team to the area as her reason for thinking the team should stay in Oakland.