November Could Bring Dueling Stadium Proposals for San Diegans Heading to Vote
By Wendy Fry	• Published at 7:14 pm on February 9, 2016
If you've ever wondered how many ballot measures asking voters for permission to spend more official funds could possibly be tolerated in one election cycle, November is looking like the perfect petri dish.
Already, we have heard of six separate initiatives making their way to the November ballot. Those measures range from dealing with spending more on roads, dishing out cash for infrastructure or fire stations, to a possible Convention Center expansion.
Now, San Diegans are even looking at the possibility of dueling stadium proposals.
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The Chargers announced Monday they are going "all in" on a San Diego stadium initiative campaign, with a pledged $10 million in financing to sway voters to subsidize a stadium. It means the Chargers have a lot of attention-grabbing to do between now and March when the signature gathering process will have to begin.
Whether they love the Chargers or hate them, most people don't support spending public dollars on a stadium, according to multiple local polls and surveys, including one done by the Chargers themselves.
"How about winning? Let's start to win and then maybe we could consider throwing money, but we need potholes filled around here. We need infrastructure filled around here. We've got broken pipes happening down here," said Jaron Wright in the Gaslamp Tuesday. "I think they kind of blew it. I think a lot of fans are going to be ticked about them being willing to just up and leave."
Councilman Scott Sherman says he thinks the city can make the hard sell.
"Well, one, we're going to take it to the voters to let them decide, which is big," Sherman said. "Two, it's not going to be raising any taxes. Right now, as it stands, we lose $10 million a year. So, why not re-purpose that money over 20 years and get a new stadium?"
The City Council Tuesday discussed deadlines for June ballot measures, which have mostly passed.
Stadium supporters are already on deadline for a November ballot to ask voters to support building a stadium in San Diego.
In an online video the Chargers released Monday, Dean Spanos talks about his decision to hire Fred Maas, a political insider with experience in downtown redevelopment.
Spanos said he isn't dead-set on a downtown location anymore, but instead committed to finding a solution.
He said he hired Maas for a fresh, objective pair of eyes on the issue.