November 8: The Other Election

by | Nov 8, 2016 | Uncategorized |

The day is finally here. After much anticipation the citizens of San Diego will take to the polls today to vote on Measure C. There’s also a presidential race going on, but that’s another blog for another day.

 

After placing third in the bid to move to Los Angeles (that was out of three, by the way) San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos has been trying to renegotiate a stadium deal for the Bolts. The new stadium would have a retractable roof and 62,000 seats for the San Diego loyal, but would also cost a stiff $1.8 billion to construct. Enter Measure C, which would allow for public funding to finance the new stadium via a tourism tax. Outsiders, not locals, would be footing the bill.

Here’s the catch: It needs two-thirds approval to pass, which will be anything but easy to reach.

If it doesn’t get at least 66.7 percent of the vote, and it’s looking like it won’t, Spanos and crew will have to find another way to make it work in San Diego or cut their losses and move the team to a new city. They do have the option to join the Rams in Los Angeles, but not wanting to share the spotlight with a shiny new team makes that move unlikely.

For now, we await the results of tonight’s election. For more on the Chargers, check out last week’s MMQB column and Brandt’s Rants on “The Business of Sports.” And keep an eye out for this week’s piece for The MMQB on the results of San Diego’s Election Day and the continued problems of NFL officiating.

BONUS: Want to hear some real election talk? I sat down with Rick Klein this morning on “The Business of Sports” podcast to discuss Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and his predictions for tonight. Give it a listen here.