The issue of public versus private financing for sports facilities is not a new one. In the case of the Oakland Raiders, progress needs to be made or the club will pack up and leave for greener pastures in LA (here's a look at the fancy stadium approved for the team in Carson). New thinking on the matter may offer some solutions. Assistant city administrator Claudia Cappio has taken the lead in talks between the city and the team, reports the San Francisco Business Times. Cappio says there are ways to use public money without it coming out of the city’s general fund and proposes alternatives to raising the needed funds, including the selling of land around the Coliseum. Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley is among the many who vehemently oppose the use of public money for stadium projects. [SFBT]