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City clerk says team collected enough signatures from citizens
By Liz Alper
Photo: Voice of San Diego, originally from JMI Realty
July 9, 2016 (San Diego) - Despite low approval ratings from some Republicans, the initiative for a proposed "convadium" downtown for the Chargers and for the San Diego Convention Center is headed to the November ballot, the San Diego Union Tribune reports.
The iniative received 110,380 signatures, more than the 66,447 needed. If the measure is approved, the team will stay here and build a stadium in San Diego instead of moving to Los Angeles to share an Inglewood stadium with the Los Angeles (formerly St. Louis) Rams.
In March, NFL owners ruled that the Rams would be the ones immediately moving to the city of angels, with the Chargers being given the option to move with them. The Chargers elected to stay in San Diego at least one more season. If they don't make any moves by March of 2017, the Oakland Raiders will be given the option to move to LA.
The proposed stadium would be in East Village, next to Petco Park and would raise the city's tax on hotel stays from 12.5 percent to 16.5 percent. The Chargers will contribute $650 million ($300 million to the NFL and $350 million from the team) to the project.
Chargers chairman Dean Spanos released a statement on the news today:
"The entire Chargers organization is grateful to all of those who helped qualify our initiative for the November 2016 ballot. We gathered more than 110,000 signatures in less than six weeks, an extraordinary result that demonstrates the high level of community interest in a new multi-use stadium and convention center facility downtown. I would again like to thank all of those who signed the petition along with the fan groups, labor organizations, and businesses large and small that helped with our effort."
Comments
taxpayer rip off for billionaires
the nfl is a multi billion dollar a year business and is in reality no friend to the taxpayer or the Republic. the federal government (taxpayers borrowing money ) already pay for the security for the stupor bowl. this will only steal from visitors to san diego to line the pockets of the owners .. all decent people would tell the nfl to get lost. if the tax is raised use it to pay down debt or to help the homeless
So part of cost of this project
Keep in mind: the new convention center will be there too.
So it'll be used more than 8 times a year. And Spanos/the Chargers aren't paying the entire $650. $300 mil is from the NFL (given to the Chargers by the NFL owners at that owners meeting in March as an incentive for staying in SD) and the team will bring up $350 mil.