Chargers’ Tax Proposal Bombs

The number is the amount in hotel taxes San Diego voters soundly rejected that was to help pay for a new stadium for the NFL team. Measure C was written by the Chargers without help from City Hall, the local tourism industry or other stakeholders.

It needed 66.7 percent approval to pass, but went down 57 percent to 43 percent in the Nov. 8 municipal election. Team chairman Dean Spanos, whose attempt to move the Chargers to the L.A. suburb of Carson angered fans and was rebuffed by fellow NFL owners in January, said in a statement the following day that he will consider his options. Spanos said a decision won’t be announced until after the season “and no decision will be made in haste.”

Measure C would have increased the hotel tax to help pay for a $1.8 billion stadium and convention center annex in the southeast corner of downtown near Petco Park, the home of MLB’s Padres. The Chargers have been trying since 2000 to replace aging Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley. Spanos’ options include negotiating with Mayor Kevin Faulconer on a new plan or exercising his option to join the L.A. Rams in a stadium scheduled to open in Inglewood, Calif., in 2019.

Spanos earned that concession after fellow owners rejected his attempt to move to Carson and share a stadium with the rival Oakland Raiders. It’s clear the Raiders intend to move to Las Vegas instead, pending approval of NFL owners. As for the Chargers, it’s less clear whether remaining in downtown San Diego is an option. Spanos’ plan was opposed by the tourism industry, leading civic leaders and an architecture group that panned the size of the project.