The San Diego Chargers will soon have a decision to make. Are they going to remain in California’s southernmost city without a stadium plan in place? If not, will the team utilize its right to join the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood?
These are questions that won’t be answered until the city-wide stadium vote on a new venue in San Diego on election day. Unfortunately for the Chargers, it’s looking more and more like they will be on the losing end there.
A judge ruled earlier this year that the Chargers needed a two-thirds majority in order to receive public funding for a new venue. It had previously been thought that the team would need a simple majority. Whenever you’re asking a citizenry to raise taxes in order to fund a stadium, being tasked with receiving a two-thirds majority is most definitely not good news.
Now, just weeks before election day, it looks like the Chargers are preparing for a loss.
“Chargers ownership gave a brief update to the rest of the league during the recent NFL owners meeting in Houston, noting the lack of support from council members for their downtown stadium project, and the bleak odds of winning a ballot initiative next month,” sources told CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora.
It’s widely believed that the Chargers will opt to join the Rams in Los Angeles should this vote not turn out in their favor. When the league approved the Rams’ relocation earlier this year, it came with a caveat for the Chargers.
Should they not find a solution in San Diego, the organization would then have a window to decide to join the Rams. That window closes early next year, just two months after November’s election.