Oakland Arena operator to lay off 1,605 workers as its contract expires at year-end

AEG Management Oakland LLC filed a California WARN notice on October 29 covering 1,605 permanent layoffs effective December 31, as Legends Global's operating agreement runs out and the sale of the venues to new owners remains unfinished. The buyers say they intend to rehire union workers — but only after they reapply.

Legends Global, the operator of Oakland Arena and the Oakland Coliseum, plans to lay off 1,605 workers when its management contract expires at the end of the year, according to a California WARN notice filed on October 29 by AEG Management Oakland LLC. All 1,605 layoffs are classified as permanent and take effect on December 31. The filing covers workers at 7000 Coliseum Way in Oakland, and it is the largest California WARN filing in the past 30 days.

The cuts span a wide range of venue jobs, including stagehands, janitors, hospitality staff and guest services workers, according to KTVU. The notice was filed 63 days before the effective date, meeting California's 60-day WARN requirement. Legends said it will keep operating both venues with its current employees through the end of the year.

Legends has managed the complex since 2012 under an operating agreement with the city of Oakland and Alameda County that was not renewed. The agreement runs through December 31, or until the city and county no longer own the property, whichever comes first. The two owners are selling their interests in the 112-acre site to Oakland Acquisition Company, an investment group affiliated with the African American Sports and Entertainment Group. Under the proposed structure, the group would keep the Coliseum stadium and surrounding land while selling Oakland Arena to Oak View Group for at least $100 million. Oakland's City Council approved the sale of the city's interest for $125 million in July, and the city will also receive 6% of gross ticket sales at the arena and stadium.

What happens to the workers after December 31 is not settled. Ray Bobbitt, a spokesperson for Oakland Acquisition Company, told the San Francisco Chronicle that Oak View Group had met with labor representatives and intended to rehire unionized workers. “They'll transition from Legends to Oak View Group,” he said. Susan Cronin, an investor in the acquisition company, said the laid-off workers would have to reapply for their jobs, “but the intention is to hire them back.” The assurances cover union workers only: the number of jobs, and arrangements for nonunion staff, have not been established, and the Chronicle reported that Oak View Group did not provide a clear explanation of its hiring plans. The 1,605 layoffs are therefore a WARN filing, not a final count of permanent job losses — that depends on rehiring that has not been agreed.

A separate filing underscores that the transition reaches beyond the venue operator. Levy, which runs food and beverage concessions at the arena, filed a notice for 181 employees in a planned permanent closure effective the same day, December 31. That filing is separate from the 1,605 layoffs, and nothing in the records says how many Levy workers a successor concessionaire might employ.

The sale itself is not yet complete. The acquisition group hopes to close by December 31 — the same day Legends stops operating — but Alameda County must first unwind a 2019 agreement to sell the Coliseum to the Oakland Athletics, and litigation has delayed that process. The arena already has concerts booked for 2027, including Kenshi Yonezu in February and Calvin Harris in May, while the Coliseum stadium has no events on its 2027 calendar. Legends itself tried to buy the arena in June, proposing a $102 million investment, but the Oakland Acquisition Company–Oak View Group proposal advanced instead.