OAKLAND — Nearly two years after this news organization’s investigation into East Bay politicians hoarding free tickets to marquee events at the Oakland Coliseum and Oracle Arena, a review of recent records shows high ticket use among elected officials and their staffs — and sloppy reporting about it — continues.
The city, county and the joint powers authority which operates the publicly-owned arena and stadium each get a suite with 16 seats at the two venues, under agreements with the teams. Officials who use those tickets must fill out forms required by the state Fair Political Practices Commission stating who got the tickets and the public purpose for attending, such as to inspect the facility’s operations, or rewarding community volunteers and students.