https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Economy


Article

Stadium woes leads NFL’s Chargers to depart for Los Angeles amid public outcry

Stadium woes leads NFL’s Chargers to depart for Los Angeles amid public outcry

The Chargers’ move from San Diego to Los Angeles has kicked off animosity towards the franchise from the public and civic leaders in San Diego alike.
  • Written by Jason Axelrod
  • 17th January 2017

The San Diego Chargers’ move to Los Angeles has kicked off animosity towards the franchise from public and civic leaders alike.

On Jan. 12,  Chargers Owner Dean Spanos announced in an online letter that the team would be moving to Los Angeles, ending a 56-year history with San Diego.

“[The city] will always be part of our identity, and my family and I have nothing but gratitude and appreciation for the support and passion our fans have shared with us over the years,” Spanos wrote in the letter.

Since the announcement however, the Chargers organization has encountered mass derision for the move from the public and from civic leaders. At a news conference, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said Spanos “made a bad decision, and he will regret it,” according to USA Today. “San Diego didn’t lose the Chargers. The Chargers just lost San Diego,” he continued.

“Since 2013, Dean Spanos and Mark Fabiani have worked diligently behind the scenes to move the Chargers to Los Angeles,”  San Diego Councilman Scott Sherman said in a statement. “Today, they have achieved that goal and in the process destroyed nearly 60 years of loyal football tradition.”

The move comes after several unsuccessful attempts to replace 50-year-old Qualcomm Stadium — the Chargers’ San Diego home — over the past 10 and-a-half years, according to the Los Angeles Times. Qualcomm was considered to be one of the NFL’s worst venues. 

In 2016, San Diego voters rejected a plan for the Chargers to increase a hotel tax in order to finance the building of a new downtown stadium, the Times of San Diego reports. The plan was to also include a convention center annex in the stadium’s $1.15 billion complex, San Diego TV station Fox 5 reports. 

The San Diego Taxpayers Association carried out a report on the possible strategy, estimating that remaining debt would have been paid from the San Diego general fund, Fox 5 reports. The association called the hotel tax plan a “bad deal,” while calling its analysis “more than fair.”

San Diego’s Tourism Marketing District board also commissioned a $36,000 study of the potential complex and determined that a stadium and convention center complex would have not succeeded a necessary ways to justify its existence, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“The joint use of football stadiums and convention centers has been tried and largely failed in three cities – St. Louis, Indianapolis and Atlanta,” the report read.

Spano said that the move from San Diego is primarily concerned with the organization’s inability to procure public financing for a new stadium, according to USA Today. Ultimately, the Chargers plan to share a $2.6 billion stadium with the Los Angeles Rams, which will open in 2019, the LA Times reports.

“It has nothing to do with the fans per se,” Spanos told USA Today. “It’s just very difficult to get public subsidy there and there’s just no will to do it.”

Civic leaders tried to offer condolences to the public amid their outrage. San Diego State University shared Qualcomm Stadium with the Chargers, and President Elliot Hirshman said, “We had countless good-faith discussions [with the Chargers]. Unfortunately, we didn't have a good-faith partner,” according to the Associated Press.

“San Diego will move on and be better without them,” Councilman Sherman said in his statement.  “For the rest of my time, I will do all in my power to one day welcome a new NFL owner that deserves the honor of calling San Diego home.”

_____________

To get connected and stay up-to-date with similar content from American City & County:
Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter
Watch us on YouTube

Tags: Economy News Article

Most Recent


  • Report: Nearly 95 percent of America's mayors face harassment, threats and violence
    In today’s divided socioeconomic landscape—one that’s rife with political angst—harassment of mayors has become commonplace, especially against minority leaders. Women mayors and mayors of color face more frequent and acute incidents of harassment and violence, according to new research from the advocacy organizations Equity Agenda and the Mayors Innovation Project. Nearly half of all women mayors […]
  • Report: Almost half of public sector retirees don't touch their retirement plans for a decade
    Once retired, nearly half of public sector employees aren’t taking any action with their defined contribution retirement plan funds for at least a decade, according to research from Mission Square Research Institute, which included the analysis of more than 100,000 public service data records. In their first ten years of retirement, researchers found that 48 […]
  • budget
    Four steps to ensure your budget prioritizes equity
    When you think of municipal budgets, the first thing that comes to mind is likely numbers. Many rows and many columns of numbers. But veteran municipal leaders know that successful budgets are about far more than numbers—they’re about quality of life and opportunities for every person in a community. For this reason, the budget process […]
  • Victims of Surfside condo collapse settle for nearly $1B in class action lawsuit
    Nearly $1 billion—that’s how much victims of last year’s Surfside, Fla. condo collapse will receive, lawyers representing victims in a class action lawsuit announced unexpectedly Wednesday in a courtroom hearing. It’s among the largest settlements from a single incident in U.S. history. “We all know there is no amount of money in the world that […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery
  • Rethinking the ways cities can invest in vital neighborhoods
  • How to innovate and invest on a budget in state and local IT services
  • Treasury Department launches Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to deliver $350 billion in funding

White papers


The PIO’s Ultimate Guide to Social Media

16th May 2022

Gain Greater Visibility Into Your Public Works Fleet

16th May 2022

Arizona Arts Center Meets Rapid Deadline with Hundreds of Thousands in Savings

26th April 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Report: Nearly 95 percent of America’s mayors face harassment, threats and violence dlvr.it/SQTn2z

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

The PIO’s Ultimate Guide to Social Media dlvr.it/SQTdCK

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Gain Greater Visibility Into Your Public Works Fleet dlvr.it/SQSqXG

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Almost half of public sector retirees don’t touch their retirement plans for a decade dlvr.it/SQKMjp

13th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Four steps to ensure your budget prioritizes equity dlvr.it/SQJgZz

13th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Victims of Surfside condo collapse settle for nearly $1B in class action lawsuit dlvr.it/SQJffb

13th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Impact investing merges making money with making a social impact dlvr.it/SQGBgv

12th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amazon Business caters to the public sector with technology-driven features and benefits dlvr.it/SQF2Gm

12th May 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X