Editing Irwindale, California (section)

==History==
Irwindale was part of the [[Ranchos of California|Mexican land grant]]s by [[Alta California]] Governor [[Juan Bautista Alvarado|Juan Alvarado]] of [[Rancho La Puente]], [[Rancho Azusa de Dalton]], [[Rancho Azusa de Duarte]], and [[Rancho San Francisquito (Dalton)|Rancho San Francisquito]].<ref>Ogden Hoffman, 1862, ''Reports of Land Cases Determined in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California'', Numa Hubert, San Francisco</ref> The families of Gregorio Fraijo and Facundo Ayon settled here in the 1850s.<ref name="city">{{cite web|url=http://www.irwindaleca.gov/history.html|title=History|work=City of Irwindale website|access-date=November 12, 2008}}</ref> Significant economic growth did not arrive until the advent of the automobile, which drove up demand for the area's rocks and sand for the paving of roads. The city was incorporated on August 6, 1957.

Irwindale took advantage of urban redevelopment laws starting in 1976, and prospered in the following decade; it attracted a {{convert|200|acre|adj=on}} [[Miller Brewing Company]] plant, the corporate headquarters of [[H. F. Ahmanson & Co.|Home Savings of America]], and other companies.<ref name="rocksriches">{{cite news|work=[[New York Times]]|title=From Rocks to Riches: Tiny Suburb That Landed a Pro Team|first=Judith|last=Cummings|date=September 12, 1987|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE5DE1031F931A2575AC0A961948260}}</ref>

In the summer of 1987, city councilman Joe Breceda approached [[Al Davis]], owner of the [[National Football League]]'s [[Los Angeles Raiders]], about building a new stadium on the site of one of the disused pits. Davis agreed to a $115 million deal. He would take ownership of the new stadium provided the Raiders would play there for 19 years.<ref name="nytraiders">{{cite news|work=[[New York Times]] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1D7163AF934A1575BC0A961948260|title=Talking Deals: Raiders' Town: First and Long|first=Judith|last=Cummings|date=August 27, 1987}}</ref> The deal included a $10 million nonrefundable signing bonus paid directly to Davis regardless of whether the plan would be executed.<ref name="siraiders">{{cite journal|journal=[[Sports Illustrated]]|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1987/09/14/the-talk-of-the-town-meet-irwindale-calif-home-to-be-of-the-raiders/|title=The Talk Of The Town: Meet Irwindale, Calif., home-to-be of the Raiders|first=Rick|last=Reilly|date=September 14, 1987|url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102114632/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1066472/index.htm |archive-date=January 2, 2013}}</ref> In the event, both parties were served multiple lawsuits, the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] demanded strict environmental impact assessments, and the [[Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors]] demurred, and the project was canceled.<ref name="fumble">{{cite news|title=Irwindale's Fumble of Raider Bid Still Stings|author=Peter Y. Hong|author2=Richard Winton|name-list-style=amp|newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=February 8, 1999|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-feb-08-me-6055-story.html|access-date=January 28, 2013}}</ref> Davis pocketed the $10 million, and eventually moved the Raiders back to [[Oakland, California|Oakland]].