.Wednesday Must Reads: Oakland A’s Eye Coliseum Site for New Ballpark; Raiders to Sit Down Today with Oakland and NFL Officials

Stories you shouldn’t miss:

1. The Oakland A’s have commissioned famed sports architects HOK to come up with plans for a new ballpark on the Coliseum site in Oakland, the Chron reports. Now that the team’s plan to move to San Jose is all-but-dead, A’s co-owner Lew Wolff is looking to build a new facility on the Coliseum property while the ballclub continues to play at the current stadium. A’s representatives are said to have had “positive” talks with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and her team.

2. The Oakland Raiders, meanwhile, are scheduled to talk today with city and county officials and representatives of the NFL to discuss plans for a new stadium on the Coliseum site, too, the Bay Area News Group$ reports. A major sticking point is that the Raiders want to build a new facility on the same location as the Coliseum, a move that would force both the A’s and the Raiders to leave Oakland for several years while the old stadium is torn down and a new one is built. The Raiders, the NFL, and county officials are also unhappy with plans presented by Coliseum City developer Floyd Kephart.

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3. The City of Los Angeles may seek to team up with the San Francisco Bay Area to bid on the 2024 Olympic Games, now that Boston has dropped out of the running, the Chron$ reports. The US Olympic Committee wants to select a replacement for Boston by mid September.

4. The East Bay MUD board voted unanimously to reject a plan that would have offered rebates of up to $1,250 for residents who replace their lawns with synthetic turf, the CoCo Times$ reports. Although fake grass would save water in the drought, it also would produce more landfill waste.

5. And the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to ban the possession of firearm magazines that hold more than ten rounds, the LA Times$ reports. Shooters have used high-capacity magazines in numerous mass killings nationwide.