A's Making A Pitch To Remain In Oakland

After years of futile attempts to relocate to the South Bay, the Oakland A's appear resigned to staying put at the Coliseum and are in negotiations for a 10-year lease extension. The mayor declined to comment Tuesday, and when asked recently about the Raiders deal, her spokesman Sean Maher steered clear of any specifics - including how much taxpayer money, if any, would be pledged toward a new football stadium. Coliseum Authority member Chris Dobbins said the board is expected to take up the issue of the A's lease - and its effect on the Raiders - at a meeting Friday. Lewis Clinton Jr., the AC Transit chief financial officer who was just charged with embezzling more than $500,000 from the Allen Temple Baptist Church, has been put on indefinite leave from the transit agency - and will continue collecting his $225,000 annual salary. "None of the charges concern his work at AC Transit, and while he has been charged, there is also a presumption of innocence," said AC Transit spokesman Clarence Johnson. Just how long Clinton's paid leave will last is an open question that will be answered by AC General Manager David Armijo. Prosecutors say Clinton siphoned more than $500,000 from the church and spent it on everything from his own business to house payments, golfing and a luxury car.