Oakland city attorney: Lake Merritt tower land sale is illegal

If Oakland sells public land near Lake Merritt to a private developer to build a market-rate residential tower, the transaction would violate state law, Oakland's city attorney wrote in a confidential legal opinion in February. The opinion provides more ammunition to opponents of the sale, who have threatened legal action, and the Oakland City Council delayed the final vote on the sale, which was originally scheduled tonight. The development would be one of the largest new projects in Oakland in…