San Antonio government seeks to withhold Oakland Raiders documents

SAN ANTONIO — The city of San Antonio has asked the Texas attorney general for permission to withhold a bevy of documents about the Oakland Raiders sought by the San Antonio Express-News under the state's public information act.

Among other things, the newspaper requested calendar entries, memos, notes, proposals and other information related to Raiders owner Mark Davis' visit to San Antonio, communications between Raiders staff and city officials, expenditures and travel documents from city officials and other documents that would help explain how serious the city might be in recruiting the Raiders.

That the city has sought an AG opinion means that at least some of the requested documents exist.

The Express-News was the first to report last month that in mid-July, Davis and a couple top lieutenants quietly met with several high-ranking local officials and business leaders about the possibility of relocating his NFL team to the Alamo City.

Skeptics have continually disregarded the meeting as a ploy by Davis to leverage a better deal in Oakland. The Raiders' lease on the O.co Coliseum is set to expire after the coming season, and Davis has been negotiating for a new facility.

Though it's difficult to judge Davis' seriousness based on the actions of the city, it is intriguing, at least, that the city appears to have become involved enough in conversations about a Raiders relocation that it generated documents that could be excepted from disclosure.

The city's request to the AG is what's known as a “10-day letter,” in which a city lawyer informs the state that it is seeking to withhold documents. Governmental entities may not merely deny requests for public records — they must first get permission from the AG to do so.

The city's attorneys typically cite in the 10-day letter all possible reasons for exemption, regardless of whether they're actually applicable. In a so-called “15-day letter,” the city will likely argue the specific reasons why documents responsive to the newspaper's request should be exempted.

Some of the potential reasons are:

confidential by law

information relating to competition or bidding

information relating to location or price of property

agency memoranda

certain information submitted by a potential vendor or contractor

information relating to economic development negotiations

proprietary records and trade secrets involved in certain partnerships

By Aug. 20, city attorneys must submit their 15-day letter that argues why the city should be allowed to withhold the requested documents, citing the specific sections of the Texas Public Information Act that apply.

That letter could shed further light on what documents the city has generated and for what purpose. Until then, only history might help inform what the city could be up to.

In 2005, the city spent thousands of dollars hosting the New Orleans Saints after the team headquartered in San Antonio following Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Saints played three games at the Alamodome during the 2005 season. The lower level of the building also provided office space for the team before its staffers settled into the old San Antonio Water System offices on Market Street.

While the Saints were in town, then-Mayor Phil Hardberger negotiated with team owner Tom Benson to permanently relocate the team to San Antonio.