The San Diego Chargers have gotten enough signatures to put their $1.15 billion stadium-plus-convention-center-expansion plan on the November ballot — though they still don’t know how many votes they’ll need to pass it, and won’t until a judge rules on that matter, probably not until well after November — but for the moment I want to focus on how this was covered in the local media. The San Diego Union-Tribune:
If approved, the proposal could keep the team from moving to the Los Angeles area, where they’ve been approved by NFL ownership to join the Rams in a new stadium being built in Inglewood.
The Los Angeles Times:
If successful, the franchise would stay in San Diego, as opposed to exercising its option to relocate to Los Angeles as a tenant to Rams owner Stan Kroenke at the stadium he has under construction on the former site of Hollywood Park racetrack in Inglewood.
Is this really accurate, though? Sure, Chargers owner Dean Spanos says he has an agreement in principle to move to Inglewood if the San Diego stadium proposal fails, but he hasn’t provided any details, and for all we know this is just posturing to try to scare San Diegans into approving his stadium subsidy demands. I mean, probably not — Spanos would presumably rather be a renter in a new stadium in L.A. than top dog in his old one in San Diego — but that all depends on how much Rams owner Stan Kroenke is demanding in tribute to play in his stadium.
Either way, it seems a bit much to make “this will keep the team from moving to L.A.” the lede, as opposed to, say, mentioning that $1.15 billion public price tag, which doesn’t appear until the 5th paragraph in the L.A. Times article, and the 7th paragraph in the U-T article. (Both papers share ownership.) Spanos may be a long, long way from winning the vote, but he’s doing a great job winning the battle to frame the story being told in the papers.
I’m not from San Diego, so maybe I’m misjudging this but, does anyone really think this even comes close to passing with even 50%? I mean, it;s a vote on a billion dollar subsidy for a football stadium, on a regular election day, in a presidential election year? Don’t they usually run these things on some random Tuesday in May so that the construction unions can overwhelm the normally weak turnout from regular citizens?
I think the only option is the November ballot for them, unless they have a side deal to block the Raiders moving to LA if they don’t close the deal and move by January. There isn’t another election in California between now and then.
Will it pass, who knows, If I remember from back in the day (2004-2006ish) there was poll in San Diego where when asked where the Charger’s should be built, Los Angeles was in the lead with 1/3 of the total vote, so it might just be hard slog. If the judge rules it needs 2/3rds approval ,then no it won’t pass. At 50%, it might be close. The city is effectively broke due to the pension obligations and such, I don’t know how much more the citizens would be willing to spend for a team that has to fight to sell out the stadium when other services are being pared back. They might be able to eek out a 50% + 1 vote.
50% is not even close, yes. A poll linked to from Voice of San Diego shows 58% are probable to vote No on the ballot. Even those who consider getting a new stadium to be important are split down the middle on the issue.
I doubt it passes. Chargers should just stay in Dan Diego until Stan Kroenke’s stadium is completed. 3 team in USC’s coliseum seems unnecessary.
I think it’s actually impossible. USC who controls the stadium has said that it’ll only accept one team as a tenant. The Rose Bowl has shot down an NFL team playing there as well.
The problem the Chargers have is that they cannot move until the new stadium is completed, but if they announce a move they’ll have either no place to play or will be forced to play in San Diego to maybe an empty stadium for the 2-3 years it would take to build the Rams stadium.
At best Spanos gets 30% far from the needed 66%. The convadium fiasco is dead.
If you think the papers are bad you should hear the sports talk shows on local radio.
Basically if you even question building the stadium you are an idiot, a liar and want San Diego to crumble into obscurity.